Uriah Heep's Ken Hensley dead at 75

Former Uriah Heep keyboard player and guitarist Ken Hensley has sadly passed away, his brother has confirmed in a Facebook post.

Trevor Hensley took to the platform to say "I am writing this with a heavy heart to let you know that my brother Ken Hensley passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening (4th November 2020). His beautiful wife Monica was at his side and comforted Ken in his last few minutes with us."

"We are all devastated by this tragic and incredibly unexpected loss and ask that you please give us some space and time to come to terms with it.

"Ken will be cremated in a private ceremony in Spain so please don’t ask for information about a funeral.

Ken has gone but he will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts.

Stay safe out there."

See Trevor's tribute here:

Ken's former Uriah Heep bandmate Mick Box has told Planet Rock of his shock at the news:

"I received devastating news this morning from Ken’s manager Steve Weltman that Ken Hensley has passed away. I had just finished watching his video of the unboxing of the 50th Anniversary Box Set last night, where he seemed absolutely fine and justifiably proud of his time in Uriah Heep, which has just added to the shock."

"We may not have always been the best of friends, but there were some wonderful times we shared too, which are the ones I will always remember. Ken wrote some amazing songs in his tenure with the band, and they will remain a musical legacy that will be in people’s hearts forever."

"His communication through lyrics and melody have stood the test of time, and with the power and chemistry of the band bringing those songs to life, we achieved success we could only have dreamed of."

"My sincere condolences go to his family and wife Monica and may he rest in peace."

Ken's death comes less than two months after he himself broke the news that his former Heep bandmate Lee Kerslake had passed away.

Ken Hensley joined Uriah Heep in 1969, when the band were still performing under the moniker 'Spice'.

Mick Box and co were looking to expand their sound, as he explained: "We'd actually recorded half the first album when we decided that keyboards would be good for our sound. I was a big Vanilla Fudge fan, with their Hammond organ and searing guitar on top, and we had David's high vibrato vocals anyway so that's how we decided to shape it"

For his first contribution to the band Ken simply re-recorded some existing keyboard tracks and helped the rest of the band finish a few tracks on their iconic debut album '...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble'.

Ken was more than just an addition in terms of sound, however, being a skillful songwriter himself. "I saw a lot of potential in the group to do something very different" he recalled, and sure enough for the next 10 years he was the band's principal songwriter.

In his time with Heep, he wrote or co-wrote the anthemic Lady In Black, Easy Livin', Stealin', The Wizard and many more.

Ken eventually moved on from Uriah Heep in 1980, joining Southern rock stalwarts Blackfoot for a few years. After leaving Blackfoot in 1984, he went on to perform with the likes of W.A.S.P. and Cinderella, as well as continuing to produce solo material throughout his life.

We will pay tribute to Ken Hensley by repeating his My Planet Rocks show from 2016 at 8pm on Sunday 8th November

The thoughts of all of us at Planet Rock are with Ken's family and friends at this time. Rest in peace Ken.

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