Martin Duffy, best known as the keyboard player for Primal Scream, has died aged 55. His former Charlatrans band-mate Tim Burgess confirmed the sad news on twitter.
“Another tragic loss of a beautiful soul," Burgess wrote. "Martin Duffy stepped in to save The Charlatans when we lost Rob - he played with us at Knebworth and was a true friend.
"He toured with me in my solo band too - he was a pleasure to spend time with. Safe travels Duffy.”
Another tragic loss of a beautiful soul. Martin Duffy stepped in to save The Charlatans when we lost Rob - he played with us at Knebworth and was a true friend. He toured with me in my solo band too - he was a pleasure to spend time with. Safe travels Duffy 💔 pic.twitter.com/cvuEvvqYGaDecember 20, 2022
Born in Birmingham in 1967, Duffy's career began in earnest when he answered an ad in Virgin Records to join indie band Felt in 1985. He went on to contribute to Primal Scream's first two albums, Sonic Flower Groove (1987) and their self-titled 1989 LP, before joining the band full-time before 1991's seminal Screamadelica, following Felt's split in 1989.
Amongst other projects, Duffy also contributed to the Charalatans' 1997 album Tellin' Stories, in the wake of founder member Rob Collins.
There were plenty of rewarding collaborations along the way with stars including Beth Orton, the Pop Group’s Mark Stewart, Chemical Brothers, Paul Weller and Jessie Buckley, and Duffy's solo album, Assorted Promenades, was released in 2014.
