Kate Bush shares tribute to late collaborator and partner Del Palmer
Kate Bush has shared a moving tribute to bassist and recording engineer Del Palmer in a new blog post after he passed away on January 5th, 2024.
Remembering her late collaborator and former romantic partner, the art pop singer penned a short blog post on her website honouring Palmer’s talent, accompanied by an image of a mosaic he made and named ‘Tree of Life’. “It’s hard to know what to say… He was a bit part of my life and my work for many years,” she began.
Bush went on to note Palmer’s talent across audio and visual art forms, deeming him “incredibly creative – talented in lots of different ways.” She also called him a “brilliant musician, bass player, a great artist – he was always drawing.”
On one occasion, Bush recalled in her tribute, Palmer covered an entire recording console in cartoons. “It took him days and it looked absolutely stunning,” she remembered.
Palmer and Bush began their creative partnership in the late 1970s with the singer’s sophomore record, Lionheart. Throughout her career, Palmer would provide his bass skills to Bush’s music both in the studio and on tour. He also worked as a recording engineer.
Alongside collaborating in their careers, Bush and Palmer were also in a relationship for many years. After they broke up, the two remained good friends and continued collaborators. Palmer even recorded Bush’s 2011 record 50 Words for Snow.
The singer commemorated Palmer for teaching himself to engineer before concluding, “I’m going to miss him terribly.” The blog entry is signed off with Kate’s first name.
Revisit the music video for Bush’s ‘There Goes a Tenner’, starring Palmer, below.
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