Ian Gibbons, Former Kinks Keyboardist Passes Away at 67

Former Kinks keyboardist Ian Gibbons has passed away at the age of 67, but the cause of death hasn’t been determined.

The news saw confirmation in a post of the Kinks’ spinoff group, Kast Off Kinks, reading “It is with great sadness that we have to report the sudden death of Ian Gibbons. Deepest sympathy to Nadia and all Ian’s friends and family.”

The Kinks welcomed Gibbons to the group on 1979, where he enjoyed a decade of recording and performing before finally leaving them. Gibbons’ work with the Kink include, but are not limited to “Come Dancing”, “Destroyer”, and “Better Things”. Gibbons has also worked with Dr. Feelgood, Ian Hunter, and the Kursaal Flyers among others. He reunited with the Kinks in 1993, and later joined the Kast Off Kinks, who were former Kinks members without the Davies brothers.

Ray Davies sends his condolences, “To simply say Ian will be missed would be an understatement. My first thoughts are for his family and loved ones. When he auditioned for the band, he only played a few chords before I knew he was the right guy to have on keyboard, he seemed to know the right voicing to musically slot in between the other members of the band. And with the Kinks, that took some doing!”

Dave Davies shares his experiences with Gibbons as well, “Apart from being a great professional, Ian always had a positive attitude to being on the road and recording. In the many years he worked with The Kinks, he added great colour and dimension to The Kinks’ music and he was a good friend. I’ll miss him greatly. Lots of love to his family and friends at this difficult time.”