Rick Huxley, one of the last surviving members of The Dave Clark Five, has died after a long battle with emphysema. He was 72 years old.
Huxley played bass for the band, who saw several hits in the ’60s. They appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” right around the time The Beatles did, and shot to the top of the charts in 1964 with “Glad All Over”, one of their biggest hits. Huxley, who had been sick for some time, did say recently that he’d been given a clean bill of health by his doctor, so his death came as a shock to his bandmates and friends. Leader Dave Clark said the two of them still kept in touch weekly and that he was deeply saddened by the news.
“Rick was a dear friend and an immensely talented musician with an amazing sense of humour, he always made me smile,” Clark said.
Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson are now the sole remaining members of the group, as saxophone player Denis Payton died in December 2006, and singer and keyboardist Mike Smith died in 2008.