Unbelievable: A member of Def Leppard died in the early hours of this morning in London after fighting cancer for years.
On Monday, June 23, 2025, Mick Ralphs, the guitarist and original member of the rock ensemble Bad Company, passed away at the age of 81. Joe Elliott of Def Leppard used social media to pay tribute to his lifetime buddy after learning the tragic news.
“I recently learned about the news… Completely devastated … The legendary frontman posted on Def Leppard’s official Instagram account, “Mick has been a constant companion through my musical journey & he was one of the kindest souls I ever met.” “Today’s world is a poorer place.”
The band posted a photo of Elliott kissing the cheek of the former guitarist for Mott the Hoople.
Joe Elliott Will Appear on the Tribute Album to Bad Company
This fall, Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company, which Joe Elliott is contributing to, will be released. Complete information is still awaited. The “Hysteria” rocker will, however, vocal on a reworking of “Seagull,” from the band’s self-titled 1973 debut, according to a prior revelation made by Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke.
“Don’t you ever forget us, and we’ll never forget you,” Elliott assures the audience at the conclusion of each Def Leppard performance. He borrowed the sentence from his favorite band’s farewell song, “Saturday Gigs.” When Elliott heard Mott the Hoople on the Island Records collection El Pea in 1971, he fell in love with them.
In 2009, he recalled, “I saw them live for the first time at the first of the two warm-up (reunion) shows in Monmouth, Wales.” “Seeing every reunion show in 2009 and 2013 made up for the fact that I missed them the first time around!”
Indeed, Elliott has a great deal of respect for Mott the Hoople. In 2009, he founded the tribute band Down ‘n’ Outz with a number of other musicians. The group’s most recent studio album, This Is How We Roll, was released in 2019. They have previously published three albums.
Days after his last Bad Company show at London’s O2 Arena on October 29, 2016, Ralphs had a stroke. The stroke impacted him till his death, and he never rejoined the band.
His two children, three stepchildren, bandmates Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers, and his partner Susie Chavasse survive him.
