Heavy metal bassist Jimmy Bain, known for his work with the bands Rainbow and Dio, died at 68 over the weekend, according to Rolling Stone.
Bain died aboard Def Leppard's "Hysteria On The High Seas" cruise where he was set to perform as a member of the band Last In Line, reports Ultimate Classic Rock.
Guitarist Vivian Campbell, a member of Last In Line and Def Leppard as well as a former Dio bandmate of Bain, confirmed the news on his Facebook page, writing, "It's with the heaviest of hearts that I must confirm the news of the passing of our dear friend and Last In Line band-mate, Jimmy Bain. It was Jimmy who gave me my first big break in the music industry and for that I am forever indebted."
Campbell continued: "Jimmy's struggles with his demons were well documented through the years, but over the last 18 months he had finally won that battle and he was bright and lucid and motivated throughout the writing and recording of the new record. He leaves behind him a rich legacy of work from Rainbow, through Wild Horses, Dio, and finally, Last In Line. Jimmy was immensely proud of our new album and his input to it was immeasurable."
Born in Scotland, Bain joined former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's band, Rainbow, with vocalist Ronnie James Dio. He was only with Rainbow for a year and appeared on the studio album "Rising" (1976) and the live release "On Stage" (1977), according to Rolling Stone.
Bain got back together with Dio for the singer's namesake band's hit 1983 debut, "Holy Diver," and remained with the group until 1989, then rejoined in the early 2000s.
Last In Line was formed to pay tribute to the classic era of the Dio band, but the group was set to release an album of original music, "Heavy Crown," on Feb. 20, Loudwire reports.
On Monday, Last In Line rushed to release two videos, a lyric video for "Blame It On Me" and a music video for "Starmaker." You can watch both videos below:
