‘Spinal Tap’ star David Kaff dead at 79
David Kaff, best known for the role of Spinal Tap keyboardist Viv Savage in This Is Spinal Tap, has died aged 79.
Kaff’s death has been confirmed by his band Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom, who revealed on Facebook he had passed away peacefully on July 11th.
His band wrote: “Our brother David Kaffinetti passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday. We are devastated by this event. David always had a kind word and a quick wit that would slay you where you stand. Then he’d make you smile doing it!”
They concluded the post by writing, “RIP dear brother”.
While his role wasn’t the most significant, Kaff made the most out of the time he did have on screen, including the delivery of the classic line, “Have a good time…all of the time.”
In a 2019 interview, Kaff said of the iconic role, “I have a great affection for Viv”. He continued, I played him very close to my heart, just a little bit dimmer. If people like that character, chances are they’ll like me.”
Outside of his role in Spinal Tap, Kaff enjoyed an accomplished musical career as a founding member of the prog-rock band Rare Bird, who had a huge hit with ‘Sympathy’. The song sold more than a million records globally and topped the charts in both France and Italy.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will be released on September 12th, 2025. However, despite his role in the original film, Kaff did not contribute to the movie.
The upcoming picture brings Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) back together for one last concert 15 years after splitting up. The producers describe it as “a cultural touchstone that pioneered the mockumentary genre and left an indelible mark on both film and music”.
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