The Hairy Bikers' Dave Myers dies aged 66
He was a much-loved Planet Rock presenter
Last updated 1st Mar 2024
Hairy Bikers star and much-loved Planet Rock presenter Dave Myers has sadly died aged 66.
Dave’s Hairy Bikers co-star of more than two decades, Si King, broke the news of his passing in a poignant post on social media.
Si said he "will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime.”
Dave’s passing comes two years after he revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer. The disease didn’t stop Dave from returning to TV, and The Hairy Bikers’ new series The Hairy Bikers Go West is currently airing on BBC.
As The Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers traversed the world on their motorbikes, sampling and cooking food from different regions and cultures. They released numerous cookbooks.
Dave was also a keen rock music aficionado, and, with Si, he hosted the Hairy Rock Show on Planet Rock on Sunday mornings from 2015 to 2020.
He listed Scorpions as his favourite band and he once explained on air that the German band's 1979 album 'Lovedrive' was the soundtrack to his marriage.
Dave also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 with professional partner Karen Hauer.
Listen to Planet Rock's tribute show to Dave Myers:
Si Kings full post reads:
“Hi everyone, I’m afraid I bear some sad news. Most of you will know Dave has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years. Last night, on 28th February 2024, with Lili, Dave’s wife, his family, close friend David and myself by his side, he passed away peacefully at home. All who knew Dave are devastated at his passing. His beloved wife brought him such happiness as did her children, Iza and Sergiu who Dave loved like his own.
“Personally, I am not sure I can put into words on how I feel at the moment. My best friend is on a journey that for now, I can’t follow. I will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime. I wish you god’s speed brother; you are and will remain a beacon in this world. See you on the other side. Love ya.
“I know Dave and his family would want me to thank all of you who sent messages of support in recent times. It meant the world to him, his family and all The Hairy Bikers team. I am sending you all much love and gratitude for those simple acts of kindness, generosity and spirit. We are eternally grateful for them.
“May I ask you all for one further kindness and allow Lili, his wife, his family, close friends and I some time and some peace to process our huge loss. I am sure I will see you all soon.”
Planet Rock's Director of Content, Ric Blaxill, said: "Dave was a warm, witty and caring man and it was a privilege and a delight to have had him as a part of the Planet Rock family presenting The Hairy Rock Show alongside his lifelong friend Si.
"That show helped transform Sunday mornings on Planet Rock driven by Dave's wonderful relationship with Si, his connection with listeners and his deep love of rock music.
"It was a pleasure to know and work with such a lovely man."
Everyone at Planet Rock's thoughts are with his family and friends at this very difficult time. RIP to our good pal, Dave Myers.
Watch Dave and Si in conversation at Planet Rock listeners in 2019:
Figures from the rock world we've sadly lost in 2024:
Tony Clarkin
Magnum guitarist, songwriter and founding member Tony Clarkin died aged 77 on Sunday 7th January 2024 following a short illness. Tony Clarkin's death came just three days before Magnum released their 23rd studio album 'Here Comes the Rain.' One month earlier, Magnum cancelled their planned 2024 UK tour after Tony was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition. Tony formed Magnum in Birmingham in 1972 alongside vocalist Bob Catley. The pair remained constant members of the Magnum – aside from the band's six-year split from 1995 to 2001 – and they appeared on all 23 of their studio albums. Following Magnum's demise in 1995, Clarkin and Catley formed the melodic rock band Hard Rain and they released two studio albums.
Del Palmer
Greenwich-born musician and sound engineer Del Palmer died aged 71 on Friday 5th January 2024. Best known for being a long-term collaborator with Kate Bush, with whom he had a relationship from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Palmer also worked with artists including Midge Ure, Roy Harper and Billy Sherwood. Kate Bush said: "It's hard to know what to say… He was a big part of my life and my work for many years. It's going to take a long time to come to terms with him not being here with us. He was incredibly creative – talented in lots of different ways. He was a brilliant musician, bass player, a great artist – he was always drawing. He taught himself to be a recording engineer, engineering several of my albums and later releasing his own."
James Kottak
Former Scorpions and Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak died aged 61 on Tuesday 9th January 2024 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Paying tribute, Scorpions said: "James was a wonderful human being , a great musician and loving family man … he was our 'Brother from another Mother' and will be truly missed." Born on 26th December 1962 in Kentucky, Kottak played with a number of acts throughout his career including Buster Brown, Wild Horses, Montrose, McAuley Schenker Group, Dio and Warrant. He also achieved considerable success as a pivotal early member of Kingdom Come, however he was best known as being a member of Scorpions for two decades from 1996 to 2016.
Annie Nightingale
Trailblazing radio DJ and TV presenter Annie Nightingale died aged 83 on 11th January 2024 following a short illness. A new music champion, Nightingale joined Radio 1 in 1970 and was the only female presenter for over a decade.She became the station's longest serving broadcaster and held the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a female radio presenter. Nightingale passionately championed an eclectic array of music throughout her 60+ year career including progressive rock and punk. Alongside her distinguished radio career, she was also a TV presenter and well-known for presenting The Old Grey Whistle Test for eleven years.
Wayne Kramer
Wayne Kramer, the co-founder, lead guitarist, and singer with Detroit punk pioneers MC5, died of pancreatic cancer on Friday 2nd February 2024. He was 75 years old. A post on his official Instagram account simply read: "Wayne S. Kramer "PEACE BE WITH YOU" 🕊️ April 30, 1948 - February 2, 2024." Despite not achieving considerable success with MC5, Kramer helped set the blueprint for the punk movement thanks to the band's ferocious concerts, their timeless 1969 live album 'Kick Out the Jams' and two studio releases 'Back in the USA' and 'High Time.' Following MC5's demise, Kramer battled drug addiction before returning to an active recording and performing schedule in the 1990s. He's often ranked among the most influential guitarists of all time.
Damo Suzuki
Can vocalist Damo Suzuki – real name Kenji Suzuki – died aged 74 on 9th February 2024 following a decade-long battle with colon cancer. Born in 1950 in Kobe, Japan, Suzuki moved to Germany as a teenager in the late 1960s where he was spotted busking in Munich by Can bassist Holger Czukay and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Recruited to their ranks, he sang on the krautrock band's influential albums Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyası (1972) and Future Days (1973). In 1974 he retired when he became a Jehovah's Witness, however he returned to music in 1983 and remained active until his health prohibited him in 2019.
Vitalij Kuprij
Ukrainian-American musician Vitalij Kuprij, best known for being keyboardist for Ring of Fire and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, died aged 49 on 20th February 2024. Born in Kyiv on 7th July 1974, Kuprij was a virtuoso musician who performed a concert with the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall in 1999. He joined as Trans-Siberian Orchestra as pianist/keyboardist in 2009 and remained a member until his untimely death.
Bobby Tench
London-born singer, guitarist and revered sideman Bobby Tench died aged 79 in February 2024. Tench was best known for his work with Freddie King and Van Morrison, as well as being a member of The Jeff Beck Group, Humble Pie, Van Morrison band, and Streetwalkers alongside future Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain. A prolific musician, he was also a founding member of Gass and Hummingbird and he performed with the likes of Ginger Baker, Topper Headon and Linda Lewis.
Dave Myers
Hairy Bikers star and much-loved Planet Rock presenter Dave Myers died on 28th February 2024 aged 66 following a two-year battle with cancer. Dave's Hairy Bikers co-star of more than two decades, Si King, broke the news of his passing in an emotional post on social media. Si said he "will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime." As The Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers traversed the world on their motorbikes, sampling and cooking food from different regions and cultures. They released numerous cookbooks. Dave was also a keen rock music aficionado, and, with Si, he hosted the Hairy Rock Show on Planet Rock on Sunday mornings from 2015 to 2020.
Brit Turner
Blackberry Smoke drummer Brit Turner died following a 17-month battle with an aggressive brain tumour in early March 2024. Blackberry Smoke said: "If you had the privilege of knowing Brit on any level, you know he was the most caring, empathetic, driven and endearing person one could ever hope to meet. Brit was Blackberry Smoke's True North, the compass that instituted the ideology that will continue to guide this band." Blackberry Smoke revealed to their fans in November 2022 that Brit Turner had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.The diagnosis came just two months after Turner suffered a serious heart attack at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. Brit Turner and his bassist brother Richard formed Blackberry Smoke alongside vocalist Charlie Starr in 2000, and he remained constant member until his death.
Vince Power
Irish music promoter and venue owner Vince Power, nicknamed the 'Godfather of Gigs', died aged 76 on 9th March 2024. Born in County Waterford, Power moved to London aged 15 in 1963 and in the early 80s he opened the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden, which featured boasted performances from the likes of Van Morrison, Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney. At its peak, Power's Mean Fiddler Music Group owned esteemed venues in London including GAY, The Astoria and The Jazz Café. Power helped popularise festivals in the UK through the rise of Reading, Leeds, The Phoenix, The Fleadh, Madstock, and numerous other one offs including the first Sex Pistols re-union in Finsbury Park. His family said he was "a visionary entrepreneur who enhanced and influenced the music industry significantly, whilst always being a dedicated, loving father and a loyal friend to so many."
Karl Wallinger
Karl Wallinger, the Welsh musician and songwriter who fronted World Party and was a former member of The Waterboys, died aged 66 on 10th March 2024. A statement from Wallinger's publicist read: "Karl Wallinger, the Welsh-born musician and composer better known as the singular force behind World Party, died Sunday March 10.Presciently ahead of his time with songs such as Ship Of Fools, Put The Message In The Box and Is It Like Today?, in addition to the magic of She's The One and the Waterboys' The Whole Of The Moon, Wallinger was 66. Karl leaves behind a loving family including wife Suzie Zamit, son Louis Wallinger, daughter Nancy Zamit and two grandchildren."
Eric Carmen
Former Raspberries frontman and hitmaking solo star Eric Carmen died aged 74 in early March 2024. Carmen's wife Amy broke wrote: "Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy. Please respect the family's privacy as we mourn our enormous loss." Carmen co-founded the Raspberries in his native Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970, and the pop rock band released four studio albums in the early 70s. However, he's best known for his solo hits including 'All By Myself', 'Hungry Eyes' (from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack) and 'Make Me Lose Control.'
Steve Harley
Steve Harley died on Sunday 17th March 2024 aged 73 following a battle with cancer. Best known as the frontman of glam rock band Cockney Rebel, he scored five hit singles in the 1970s including 'Judy Teen', 'Mr. Soft' and the Number 1 smash 'Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)'. In a statement, Steve Harley's daughter Greta said: "We are devastated to announce that our wonderful Husband and Father has passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side. The birdsong from his woodland that he loved so much was singing for him. His home has been filled with the sounds and laughter of his four Grandchildren. Stephen. Steve. Dad. Grandar. Steve Harley. Whoever you know him as, his heart exuded only core elements. Passion, kindness, generosity. And much more, in abundance."
C.J. Snare
Firehouse singer C.J. Snare passed away at the age of 64 on 5th April. Snare co-founded Firehouse and sang and played keyboards on all seven of the band's albums, including their 1990 self-titled debut, which went double Platinum in the US. Snare's partner Katherine Little shared a message, revealing that Snare had been diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. She wrote: "His initial prognosis was grim, but that didn't stop him. We went for a second opinion and in September of 2021, he had a life-saving operation that gave us these last years with him. He was so incredibly positive during this whole disease."
Dickey Betts
Dickey Betts, co-founder, guitarist and eventual leader of The Allman Brothers Band died at the age of 80 on 18th April 2024. Betts was part of the original line-up of the band featuring Duane and Gregg Allman, who coalesced around jam sessions in 1968. He went on to write their biggest hits including 'Jessica', 'Ramblin' Man', 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed' and many more besides. His distinctive dual guitar soloing with Duane Allman helped define the Southern Rock genre, although Betts himself disliked the term, saying "I think it's limiting. I'd rather just be known as a progressive rock band from the South."
Mike Pinder
Mike Pinder, the co-founder and original keyboard player with the Moody Blues, died aged 82 on 24th April 2024. Pinder was the last surviving original member of the group, having founded the band alongside Denny Laine, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, and Clint Warwick in 1964. He co-wrote all the songs on debut album 'The Magnificent Moodies' with guitarist Laine. He was also an early proponent of the Mellotron and was considered to be an influential rock keyboard player. His death was announced by his family, who did not share a cause of death but said he had died peacefully on Wednesday at his home in Northern California.