Del Palmer, a longtime associate and former romantic partner of Kate Bush, died on Friday at the age of 71.
The musician was best known for playing in the “Running Up That Hill” singer’s early live band, performing bass on most of her records – from her second album (1978 Lionhart) until her last edition (2011 50 words for snow) — and produced much of her discography, including her 1985 hit album Dogs of love.
Kate Bush News confirmed Palmer’s death on Saturday. The art-pop star’s fan page said the bassist died at his home “surrounded by his family”.
Although the cause of death was not revealed, the media stated that “he had health problems for the past few years”.
Del Palmer and Kate Bush perform in 1985.
ZIK Images/United Archives via Getty
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On Wednesday, Bush paid tribute to her late friend and business partner in a statement she shared on her official website. Along with a thoughtful note, she shared a photo of a colorful mosaic of a tree that the late artist made and titled it “The Tree of Life.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer began her message by saying, “It’s hard to know what to say… He’s been a big part of my life and my work for many years.”
She continued, “It’s going to take a long time to come to terms with him not being here with us.”
The British talent then spoke about what he admired about Palmer and reflected on the memory of him. “He was incredibly creative — talented in a lot of different ways,” Bush wrote. “He was a brilliant musician, a bass player, a great artist – he was always drawing. He once covered an entire video of the consul in cartoons. It took him days and it looked absolutely stunning.”
“He taught himself to be a recording engineer, produced a few of my albums and later released his own,” added the “Wuthering Heights” singer.
The message concluded: “I will miss him terribly.”
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According to Discogs, Palmer was born on November 3, 1952 in London, England. In 1967, the musician began playing bass and formed his first band, which later evolved into The KT Bush Band in the late 70s, according to the archives of his former official website.
Per Palmer’s personal biography, after Bush caught the attention of a record label and recorded her debut solo album, she and the bassist collaborated in the studio with her second act, despite being a self-taught engineer. He continued to assist in engineering projects such as Dogs of love, Sensual world, Red shoes and many others.
Since the two music artists have been in a relationship for more than 15 years, Palmer has rarely participated in interviews out of respect for the famously private singer, but he reflected on their early days working together in a 2018 interview. The Irish Examiner.
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He said he felt drawn to work with Bush from the moment they met through mutual friends in the London music scene. “I knew I had to be involved,” he told the newspaper. “She’s going to be huge – that was obvious to me when she was 17 and still a very raw artist..”
Palmer also recalled Bush’s one and only tour, 1979’s The Tour of Life, which was hugely influential for its use of wireless microphones, choreography and theatrics.
“The first night there were about 10 people. By the time we finished the residency, there were people outside who couldn’t get in the door, it was so jammed,” he recalled. “She was outstanding, a bit of an Energizer Bunny.”
In addition to working with Bush, Palmer also released a number of his own solo albums (2007 Leap of faithin 2010 Gift and in 2015 A point of safe return).
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Source: HIS Education