Herbie Flowers, the bassist on Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side, dies aged 86

People have offered their respects following the passing of Herbie Flowers, the studio musician known for his iconic bassline on Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side, which is praised as one of the top in the history of popular music.

The person known for playing bass for famous musicians like David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, and Elton John, has passed away at the age of 86, as confirmed by their family on Facebook.

Tim Burgess, the frontman of the band The Charlatans, shared on X: "Goodbye Herbie Flowers, he made the legends sound even more legendary."

Bowie's team honored Flowers, mentioning that his contributions over the years were too numerous to mention. They highlighted his amazing talent as a musician and his kind and humorous personality. They expressed deep sadness at his passing and sent condolences to his loved ones.

Mat Osman, the bass player in the band Suede, wrote: "Oh no. Rest in peace Herbie Flowers. He played so many amazing bass lines - just think about being a part of Space Oddity, Walk on the Wild Side, and Rock On."

Flowers was born in Isleworth in 1938 and started working in the 1960s as a musician who played for various producers like Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, and Tony Visconti.

He helped start the band Blue Mink in 1969, which became popular with the hits Melting Pot and The Banner Man.

Flowers was highly sought after as a bass player and came up with one of the most iconic hooks for Walk on the Wild Side.

The guitar riff in the song has a distinctive and catchy sound, but Flowers didn't want to boast about it.

During an interview, he mentioned that many people have recommended that he should have been credited as a writer. However, he clarified that his role was simply to assist in arranging the music. Lou had already written out the chords, and his task was to create the bass line.

In a different interview, he stated: "Just do the work and leave. You only get paid £12; you can't do a bunch of nonsense."

According to reports, the fee was said to be £17, which was significantly higher than the reported £9 he received for a three-hour session playing Bowie's Space Oddity in 1969.

Flowers is rumored to have participated in more than 20,000 recording sessions, working with artists such as Dusty Springfield, George Harrison, Serge Gainsbourg, and David Essex.

Another notable accomplishment was when he collaborated on the successful quirky song Grandad in 1970. Legend has it that he crossed paths with Clive Dunn at a social gathering, where the well-known actor from Dad's Army dared him to compose a song specifically for him.

Flowers was part of the last group of musicians in T Rex before Marc Bolan passed away. He played on the band's last record, 1977's Dandy In The Underworld, and also appeared on Bolan's TV show, Marc.

In the 1970s, Flowers started a prog rock band called Sky, where he played instruments and performed with the group until 1995. They released a total of seven albums during that time.

Some other albums that Flowers is known for appearing on include Bryan Ferry's The Bride Stripped Bare, Paul McCartney's Give My Regards To Broad Street, and Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds.

Kevin J Conklin, who is married to Lorraine Bassett, Flowers' niece, honored him on Facebook. He mentioned that although they knew him as Uncle Herbie, his music has likely had an impact on everyone's lives.

"He was a bassist on numerous tracks from the iconic era of rock music. Rest in peace Uncle Herbie, keep on rocking."