Samson singer Nicky Moore has died.
The heavy metal pioneer passed away aged 75 on Wednesday (03.08.22) morning after battling Parkinson’s Disease.
A statement on the veteran rocker’s website read: “It is with immense sadness and almost unbearably heavy hearts that we have to let you all know that Nicky – a man larger than life in body and spirit – has sadly passed away this morning.
“A man that lived a thousand lifetimes in just one has decided he needed a rest. Rest well, dear friend. We will all miss you x”
Nicky – who is survived by sons Nick Jr. and Timmy – co-founded Hackensack in the early 1970s before joining Tiger and famously replacing Bruce Dickinson – who left to join Iron Maiden – as Samson frontman in 1981.
He left the band later in the decade but rejoined in the 1990s.
In the 1990s, he also formed Nicky Moore and the Blues Corporation, and he also worked as a vocal coach, showing off his skills in 1998 BBC docu-soap ‘Lakesiders’.
After leaving Samon for the first time, Nicky sang in a band called Mammoth, who released two albums before splitting in 1989.
In 2006, he joined forces with former Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton and three musicians from Locomotive Breath, releasing an album under the name From Behind.
Nicky famously once performed a gig after suffering two broken ribs in a car crash and later explained he wouldn’t let down his fans if he could avoid it.
He once said: “People pay money to come and see you, you don’t let them down, and if there’s a possible way I can sing whether it be with two broken ribs or an arm falling off, or whether I’ve got flu or whatever – if I can sing I will not let them down.
“I think people have known that for years – you can count the amount of gigs I’ve had to miss on one hand over the last few years. I’ve tried as hard as I can to make it.”