Paul McCartney pens tribute to Wings’ Denny Laine: “It was a pleasure to know you”

Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his late Wings bandmate Denny Laine, describing him as “a great talent”.

The death of the guitarist – who co-founded Wings with McCartney and was the original frontman of the Moody Blues – was announced yesterday (December 5).

Taking to social media, Laine’s wife Elizabeth Hines shared news of his passing and confirmed that it was due to a battle with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). He was aged 79.

Now, Beatles legend and Wings bandmate Paul McCartney has also shared his tribute to the musician and recalled the “many fond memories” he has of working alongside Laine.

“I am very saddened to hear that my ex-bandmate, Denny Laine, has died,” he wrote of the guitarist, sharing two images of him during his time with Wings.

“I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when the Beatles toured with the Moody Blues. Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together,” he added. “Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now,’ an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly. He and I wrote some songs together, the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre’ which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.”

He continued: “Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humour and was always ready to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great fondness by his friends. I send my condolences and best wishes to his wife, Elizabeth and family. Peace and love Denny. It was a pleasure to know you. We are all going to miss you.”

Laine was born on October 29, 1944, in Birmingham, and started his music career in the band The Diplomats, which also featured ELO drummer Bev Bevans.

He formed one of his most famous projects, The Moody Blues in 1964 with singer Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas and drummer Graeme Edge, who died in 2021 aged 80. During his long career, he also formed the Electric String Band, and would play with Ginger Baker’s Air Force.

It was a call from Paul McCartney, however, that saw Laine join Wings, and help make their most celebrated album ‘Band On The Run’, which will have its 50th anniversary reissue released soon.

“My darling husband passed away peacefully early this morning,” Hines began in her post announcing his death.

“He and I both believed he would overcome his health setbacks and return to the rehabilitation center and eventually home. Unfortunately, his lung disease, Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), is unpredictable and aggressive; each infection weakened and damaged his lungs,” she added. “He fought everyday. He was so strong and brave, never complained. All he wanted was to be home with me and his pet kitty, Charley, playing his gypsy guitar.”

Other tributes also came from Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, who wrote: “Very sorry to hear of the passing of Denny Laine. Wings has always (on the daily) been a big part of my life. RIP”