Nazareth frontman Dan McCafferty dies aged 76
Dan McCafferty of the Scottish rock band Nazareth has passed away aged 76. News of the singer’s death was confirmed by the band’s bassist Pete Agnew.
In a statement shared on Facebook, Agnew wrote: “Dan died at 12.40 today. This is the saddest announcement I ever had to make. Maryann and the family have lost a wonderful loving husband and father, I have lost my best friend and the world has lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived. Too upset to say anything more at this time.”
McCafferty was with Nazareth from the very beginning, serving as the group’s singer from their formation in 1968 until his retirement in 2013. He was featured on every Nazareth album until 2014, including the band’s self-titled debut, which was released in 1971. The final release he was involved with was 2014’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Telephone.
McCafferty was also a successful solo artist, releasing his third and final album, Last Testament, in 2019, which followed on from his 1975 self-titled studio effort and 1987’s Into The Ring.
McCafferty also appears on Nazareth’s beloved 1975 album Hair of The Dog, which featured covers of The Everly Brothers and Nils Lofgren, as well as tracks like ‘Railroad Boy’, ‘Misery’ and ‘Hair of The Dog’. The band remained active following McCafferty’s departure in 2012, with Carl Sentance filling in on vocals.
Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy member Ricky Warwick is just one of the fellow musicians to have paid tribute to McCafferty. “Very sad to hear of the passing of Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty today,” he wrote on Twitter. “I was honoured to be in his company on the Rock Meets Classic Tour in 2016. My thoughts and condolences to his family and close friends.”
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