Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor passed away at the age of 77 in his home in Lake Balboa, California, on Monday after fighting a 12-year-long battle with cancer.

“Larry told great stories, funny jokes, was a foodie, wine, record and rock poster collector, computer whiz and a special human being who really ‘lived for the music’… music was his religion,” Taylor’s manager and producer, Skip Taylor shared with Billboard. “He influenced many of us in different ways and he will be missed by many throughout the music industry.”

Nicknamed “The Mole,” Taylor started his career at the age of 18, touring with Jerry Lee Lewis, and collaborated with a multitude of artists over his 59-year-old career, including The Monkees, John Mayall, Tom Waits, Albert King, Leo Kottke and The Blasters, among others.

He joined the rock band Canned Heat in 1965 and played alongside vocalist and founding member, Bob Hite, guitarists, Alan Wilson and Henry Vestine, and drummer, Adolfo de la Parra, who is the only remaining living member of the band’s original lineup.

Source: RTT News