NEW YORK — Denny Laine, a British singer, songwriter and guitarist who performed in an early, pop-oriented version of the Moody Blues and was later Paul McCartney's longtime sideman in the ex-Beatle's solo band Wings, has died at age 79.
Laine, inducted five years ago into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues, died Tuesday in Naples, Fla. The cause was interstitial lung disease, according to an announcement on Laine's Instagram page by his wife, Elizabeth Hines.
His death comes almost exactly 50 years after the release of McCartney's acclaimed "Band On the Run" album, on which Laine played guitar and provided backing vocals. On Tuesday, McCartney posted a tribute to Laine on Instagram, calling him a "great talent with a fine sense of humor."
