Joey Molland, the last member of Badfinger’s classic lineup, has died at 77.
The announcement was made on the Original Badfinger Facebook page, stating Molland was surrounded by his longtime girlfriend Mary, his two sons, and other family members. Molland had been dealing with health issues, including pneumonia, since December.
Born in Liverpool, England, Molland began his career with Gary Walker, formerly of the Standells and the Walker Brothers. He was part of Gary Walker and the Rain, a short-lived group that released its only album in 1968.
In 1969, Molland joined the Iveys, which was signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records. His arrival solidified a lineup with Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, and Tom Evans. The band had just recorded “Come and Get It,” written and produced by Paul McCartney. Released in December 1969, the single was a hit, reaching No. 7 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the U.K.
Molland played on seven Badfinger studio albums, including “No Dice” (1970), “Straight Up” (1971), and “Wish You Were Here” (1974). The band reached its commercial peak in the early ’70s with hits like “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” and “Baby Blue.”
Through Apple, Molland collaborated with former Beatles members, playing on George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and “The Concert For Bangladesh,” as well as John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
Badfinger’s popularity declined in the late ’70s, and a move to Warner Bros. did not improve sales. Financial issues arose due to the actions of their manager, Stan Polley.
“It was such a great time that I never really paid attention to contracts and just kind of blindly trusted the business people we had,” Molland recalled later. “I wish it would have been different. I wish we would have gotten involved with more honest people, more responsible people, but we didn’t.”
The band faced tragedy when Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975, leading to its breakup.
Molland briefly formed the supergroup Natural Gas with members of Humble Pie, Uriah Heep, and Aardvark. They released one album before disbanding in 1976.
Molland and Evans later revived Badfinger, releasing “Airwaves” (1979) and “Say No More” (1981), but achieved only modest success. Financial troubles persisted, and at one point, Molland and Evans each led rival versions of Badfinger.
Evans committed suicide in 1983, but Molland reunited with Gibbins in 1984 for further touring, continuing sporadically for years.
Molland also pursued a solo career, releasing six studio albums, with his latest, “Be True to Yourself,” in 2020.
More recently, Molland participated in Beatles tribute tours, joining rockers like Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, and Christopher Cross to perform many of the Fab Four’s celebrated songs.