70s cult-legend folk musician Bill Fay dies aged 81
Fans are mourning the loss.
Beloved English folk musician and songwriter Bill Fay has died, aged 81.
The news was confirmed in a statement by his label, Dead Oceans, who said that Fay died “peacefully” in London on February 22.
Fay was previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, though an official cause of death has not been confirmed.
The label wrote in tribute: ‘Bill was a gentle man and a gentleman, wise beyond our times. He was a private person with the biggest of hearts, who wrote immensely moving, meaningful songs that will continue to find people for years to come.’
Born in North London in 1943, Fay started writing songs on the piano and harmonium while attending college in Wales.
After Van Morrison’s drummer Terry Noon discovered Fay’s demos and was profoundly moved by the songwriting, he helped Fay sign to Decca Records subsidiary Deram.
Fay only released two albums: 1970’s Bill Fay and 1971’s Time of the Last Persecution.
The singer’s music reached cult-favourite status (Picture: Getty)His music, which included Christian themes, was deeply political and made comment on global events including the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Jim Crow laws, and the Vietnam War.
Due to lackluster sales, Fay was dropped from his record label and stopped pursuing music until he was rediscovered in the 2010s, gaining a huge cult following.
As the decades passed, both of his albums became beloved cult classics and collector’s items, fetching huge sums in record stores.
As a result, Fay put out three more albums of new material: Life Is People in 2012, Who Is the Sender? in 2015, and Countless Branches in 2020.
Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy described hearing Fay’s music for the first time to the New York Times: ‘I was astonished: How have I not heard this? How is this not something that is part of our DNA? It’s music that sounds like it was designed in a laboratory for me to fall in love with.’
An intensely private person, Fay never toured or performed live, despite much coaxing from fans and collaborators.
He told the New York Times of his late rising star in 2020: ‘It’s best I spend my available time doing what I’ve always done. I’m thankful that side of my life has continued for all my life — finding songs in the corner of the room.’
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