British former Bad Company Singer dies from Heart Attack in Florida

ALTHOUGH he had not been at the forefront of rock for several years, British singer Brian Howe who found fame in the USA and had million album sales with Ted Nugent and then Bad Company has died of a heart attack aged 66.

Born in Portsmouth he sang with two British bands before moving to the USA looking for fame and was ‘discovered’ auditioning by a record label executive who put him forward to work with one of rock’s most controversial guitarists the ‘gung-ho’ Ted Nugent.

After not receiving any writing credits for the Penetrator album and only earning $450 a week with the band he decided to go solo.

Just at that time Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople) and Simon Kirke (Free) decided to reform Bad Company without original singer Paul Rodgers and Howe was brought in.

He stayed with them from 1986 to 1992 recording and writing on six albums, one of which sold more than one million copies and then became disenchanted and left.

From then until now he recorded just critically acclaimed solo albums and was just about to take a new band on the road when he had his second and fatal heart attack, dying in an ambulance en route to hospital in Florida.