FREE Bassist Andy Fraser Dies Aged 62
March 16th, 2015
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Andy Fraser, bass player for defunct English rock group Free, passed away on the morning of March 16th, 2015 following a heart attack caused by atherosclerosis. The musician’s body was discovered in his car by his gardener, near Fraser’s adopted home of Temecula, California. Andy Fraser was 62 years old.
The following official statement was issued: “Andrew McLan Fraser passed away on Monday at his home in California. He leaves behind his daughters Hannah and Jasmine Fraser, and their mother Ri, his sister Gail, brothers Gavin and Alex, and many friends and associates in the industry.
“A survivor of both cancer and AIDS, Andy was a strong social activist and defender of individual human rights.”
Fraser was born on July 3rd, 1952 in Paddington, West London to a Barbadian-Guyanese father and an English mother. At the age of five he started playing the piano and was trained classically until he was 12. He then decided to take up the guitar, before eventually switching to the bass.
Briefly part of John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers at just 15, the bassist was an original member of Free since their early 1968 formation; the outfit temporarily breaking up in 1971 as a result of differences between Fraser and vocalist Paul Rodgers, guitarist Paul Kosoff’s battle with drugs, and inconsistent record sales. Albeit reforming several months later, Fraser left in mid-1972 due to reliability issues with Kosoff. Overall, the four-stringer appeared on five of Free’s sixth studio full-lengths, namely Tons Of Sobs (1969), Free (1969), Fire And Water (1970), Highway (1970) and Free At Last (1972), not to mention live outing Free Live! (1971). A Woodstock 1994 performance from Rodgers included an appearance from Fraser.
Sharks was subsequently formed in September 1972, although Fraser left following the issue of 1973 debut First Water. The Andy Fraser Band arrived next, delivering the 1975 platters Andy Fraser Band and In Your Eyes. Solo offerings Fine, Fine Line and Naked… And Finally Free were released in 1984 and 2005, respectively.
In addition to playing bass for Free in his early years as well as intermittently pursuing a solo career, Fraser penned tracks for the likes of Robert Palmer, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Rod Stewart and Paul Young.
In the early 1990s, Fraser was diagnosed with HIV, and later suffered from Kaposi’s sarcoma – a form of cancer associated with AIDS.
Andy Fraser’s funeral and a memorial service were privately held in California, where he had been living for over 30 years.
