Opeth frontman, guitarist and chief composer, Mikael Åkerfeldt, took to social media to pay tribute to former Whitesnake guitarist and blues-rock legend, Bernie Marsden, passed away peacefully at home last week (August 24) at the age of 72, surrounded by his family.
Says Åkerfeldt: "It’s with great sadness we received the news of Bernie Marsden’s passing. A superb and influential guitarist and a lovely bloke. We met a few times over the years, and we had the pleasure of dining (at length) with him during the NAMM music fair once.
Fredrik and I were sat with him and some other artists at a private PRS guitars hosted dinner. PRS himself were sat opposite to me, and I had Fredrik to the left and Bernie to the right. Bernie was into some type of fruit punch, which I found amusing for some reason. He kept ordering them while the rest of us sat sipping some over-expensive wine I had ordered on Paul Reed Smith’s tab. He didn’t mind (I think!).
Of course, I bombarded Bernie with questions about his career. Especially his Whitesnake days. A band I have loved since childhood. He didn’t put himself on a pedestal at all but was instead very down to earth. A quite common thing for older rockers I must add, and it’s always highly appreciated.
Musically, Bernie did so much. Until recently, I didn’t even know he was briefly in UFO! He’s been a member of Babe Ruth and Wild Turkey and he has played together with our very own Joakim Svalberg!
As it turns out Bernie was also a avid record collector. A good trait for any human being. Once Bernie and I had gotten the niceties out of the way we dove straight into talking about rare pressings of Beatles records and obscure progressive rock. I remember he was looking for a original UK copy of the first Free Lp, which I actually found and gave him. It was a good feeling giving something back to someone like him, who’s been such an inspiring figure in our own musical ventures.
Thank you, Bernie Marsden, for everything! In closing I’d like to give our most sincere condolences to Bernie’s friends and family. He will be sorely missed."
An auction Bernie Marsden’s guitars has been postponed following his death, reports Guitar.com.
The auction, which was due to be run by Gardiner Houlgate Auctioneers, has been postponed following his loss as a mark of respect. A further announcement will be put out when a future sale date has been planned.
In the auction, a collection of Marsden’s acoustic and electric guitars was set to be sold as part of the auctioneers’ next guitar sale on September 5 along with hundreds of other vintage and classic guitars. The auction of the other gear available will continue as normal.
“Following the extremely sad news of Bernie Marsden’s passing last week, it has been decided that the sale of the Bernie Marsden Collection will be postponed until further notice,” writes Gardiner Houlgate in a post on its website on August 29.
“Bernie was one of the most loved figures in the guitar community and following discussions with the family we have decided there should be an appropriate period before any event takes place as a mark of respect. We will make a further announcement regarding a future sale date following this period of mourning. The rest of the auction will take place as planned,” it confirms.
The sad news of Marsden's passing was confirmed by his family in a social media post on Friday, August 25.
The message states: "On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie died peacefully on Thursday evening with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side. Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end."
