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Joey Molland, the last surviving original member of rock band Bad Finger, has died. He was 77.
The band's official Facebook page announced his death on Sunday, March 2. "Well, the day we never wanted to see has arrived," the tribute began.
"Joey (Joseph Charles) Molland passed away last night, surrounded by Mary, his two sons, and other family members at 11:39pm CST." The band's account noted that once arrangements were made for Molland, they would be shared publicly.
"Needless to say, although I knew the situation was bad, it was still a shock to the system. I'm sure if you're reading this for the first time, it's a shock to yours, as well," the statement continued. "Thank you, Joey...for keeping the band's music alive for so long and for being a friend to us all.
The announcement of Molland's death comes months are his partner Mary Joyce started a GoFundMe for him amid health issues that led to several surgical procedures. Joyce called the experience a "complicated, unpredictable journey."
"Joey was vaguely ill throughout the fall, and then in early December acquired a very bad bacterial infection due to his diabetes," the GoFundMe said. "The infection caused septicemia and traveled through his body, causing harm in multiple critical organs and bones."
The late musician was also diagnosed with pneumonia.
Molland was born in England in 1947. He joined Badfinger — which was originally known as the Iveys — in 1969. The original members included Pete Ham on guitar, bassist Tom Evans and Mike Gibbins on the drums, per Billboard.
The band originally signed with Apple Records that year and their first major hit was "Come and Get It," written by Paul McCartney, peaking at No. 7 in U.S. charts and No. 4 in the UK.
Molland recorded his first album with the band in 1970, titled No Dice, which featured two of the band's most memorable hits, "No Matter What" and "Without You." Badfinger is also known for "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue."
Molland recorded five albums total with the original Badfinger musicians. He also collaborated with John Lennon and George Harrison, Rolling Stone reported.
The guitarist eventually formed his own Badfinger band, aptly called Joey Molland's Badfinger, in the early 80s and toured with them for decades until 2024.
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