Fans have paid tribute following news that former Queen bassist Barry Mitchell has died.
The news was shared on Facebook earlier this week by Greg Brooks, the band’s official archivist.
“Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player (circa 1970), Barry Mitchell, has passed away,” the post read. “His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight. He will be greatly missed.”
Mitchell was the second bassist in the band, joining after the departure of founding member Mike Grose. He stayed in the band between August 1970 and January 1971 – two years before their breakthrough 1973 self-titled debut album – and reportedly played the original bass lines on songs ‘Liar’ and ‘Son And Daughter’.
He left the line-up as he “wasn’t enthusiastic enough about their music”, he revealed in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, looking back at his time playing live with Freddie Mercury and co.
“We played quite a few concerts in England, notably in Liverpool,” he said in that interview. “At the time, they weren’t at all the cult band you all know… I didn’t see the potential. It’s crazy to say this now but it’s the truth.”
He was briefly replaced by Doug Bogie, who played just two gigs with the band, before Queen ultimately found long-time member John Deacon.
After leaving Queen, Mitchell went on to join the proto-punk band Tiger, who formed in the late ‘60s under the original name Crushed Butler. He then made a comeback in the early ’90s, playing as part of Jayne Raydio.
Friends and fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to Mitchell following news of his death.
“Farewell to a genuinely lovely man,” wrote friend Mark Cotterill (as per Metro). “A pleasure to call him friend. He had time for everyone at the Queen conventions. He had some great stories to tell re his music career. A man who could make any hat look cool. RIP Barry.”
Another friend, Gary Taylor, shared on Facebook: “RIP Barry Mitchell, Queen’s second bass player, who sadly passed away on August 17. He was a great guy, and a friend, and we had some very interesting chats over the years on the phone and in person.”
He also shared an image of the bassist performing in Edinburgh in 2018, sharing that it was “one of the last photos I took of Barry playing live on stage”.
One person commented on Taylor’s post, writing: “Sad to hear this. We met him once at the UK Convention in 2009. He was an interesting speaker that day, and we closed the pub down that night. I’ve been missing him… RIP Barry.”
Find more tributes below.
Barry Mitchell, the second bassist in the history of Queen, passed away on 17 August 2026.
Between August 1970 and January 1971, he was a member of the band during its still early phase.
Before John Deacon joined, Queen had three bassists: Mike Grose, Barry Mitchell and Doug… pic.twitter.com/E0tgcFr2DV
— A Queen Of Magic (@aqueenofmagic) August 20, 2026
RIP Barry Mitchell, Bass Player
Queen (1970-1971)–2nd Bass Player
“Liar”
“Son And Daughter”
Crushed Butler, Tiger#InMemoriam #RIP pic.twitter.com/4eiZCKzwfZ— LegacyTributes (@InMemoriamX) August 21, 2026
🖤 Lunedì scorso 17 agosto è morto Barry Mitchell
Lo abbiamo appreso oggi pomeriggio da sua figlia
Barry è stato il secondo dei 4 bassisti dei Queen tra agosto 1970 e gennaio 1971
Ai suoi cari vanno le nostre sentite condoglianzehttps://t.co/o801nlwufM
Comunità👑Queeniana
— Comunità 👑 QUEENiana (@ComunitaQueenIT) August 20, 2026
Born in London, Mitchell attended Claremont High School in Harrow in the mid 1960s, and went on to live in Northampton shortly before his death.
Details about Mitchell’s death have not been publicly disclosed at time of writing.
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