Bassobit: Kenny MacLean

The bassist with Platinum Blonde, Kenny MacLean, has died.

Scotland-born Kenny joined the Canadian group for their second album, Alien Shores when Mark Holmes wanted to concentrate on singing. Although successful in Canada, the band never achieved the hoped-for sales and, after one last attempt at a relaunch as The Blondes, they fell apart. A 1999 reboot didn't feature MacLean and this, too petered out after a few months.

MacLean went on to have a wide range of solo successes - on the night of his death he had been at a part celebrating his third solo album, but he had also been active in classical music and soundtrack writing. Kenny had been working on a show Rock Through The Ages which offered a whistle-stop singalong tour through five decades of music - somewhat heavy on Beatles, U2 and Keane and, perhaps less surprisingly, featuring great chunks of the Platinum Blonde songbook.

The cause of death has not been reported.