Author: Best Classic Bands Staff

The award-winner wrote the lyrics to “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “The Girl From Ipanema” and “I Got a Name” as well as many TV show theme songs

“Pete’s music has inspired generations of musicians over a career that spanned five decades,” said the band in a statement.

Farrar served as the band’s singer from 1980-82, singing on the group’s ‘Beatin’ the Odds’ and ‘Take No Prisoners’ albums.

He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and co-songwriter (with Will Birch) for the British group which earned modest U.S. success in the late ’70s with “Starry Eyes”

He’s described as one of the last of the guitar masters and was a big influence on the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who named his band after his “Double Trouble”

The group, described as baroque pop, formed in New York City in 1965 and scored a Top 5 hit one year later with “Walk Away Renée”

A core member of the blues-rock band during the late ’70s/early ’80s, and then on and off again until the present decade, succumbed to cancer.

The last surviving member of the band’s classic, early lineup has succumbed to pneumonia at age 67. The trio’s Lemmy Kilmister and Phil Taylor both died in 2015

Their most famous song was originally a hit in Africa, then found its way to American folk singers and finally went to #1

Fans of power pop were shocked to hear of the sudden passing of Tommy Keene, best known for his 1984 radio hit “Places That Are Gone.”