John Regan, bassist for Peter Frampton and Ace Frehley of Kiss, dies at 71: Reports
John Regan, a bass guitarist who played with Peter Frampton and Ace Frehley of Kiss, died Friday at 71, according to reports
He died at his home in the village of Wappingers Falls in Poughkeepsie, New York, Ultimate Classic Rock and Fox News reported.
The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York, paid tribute to Regan on its Facebook page Friday: "We are sad to announce the passing of one of our Chance family, John Regan. John was an incredible musician, a rockstar, but most of all, he was one of the nicest, most humble humans you’ve ever known. John, you will be missed by all of us who had the honor of knowing you."
The Who: Roger Daltrey is doubtful band will 'ever come back to tour America'
'I was joking': Diddy doesn't really pay Sting $5,000 a day for song sample, he says
Peter Frampton pays tribute to bassist John Regan
Frampton tweeted about Regan Saturday: "There might only be a handful, if that, of people who come into your world and truly enrich your life. I have lost one of my closest buddies. He certainly enriched my life because of the person and the great player he was. … He was a friend to all. Always musically inspiring and one of the funniest people on the planet. My thoughts are with his wife Cathy, his children, Christopher and Jeness, and his grandchildren. I love you, my brother. You will be missed by so many. Rest in peace."
USA TODAY reached out to Frampton's rep for comment.
There might only be a handful, if that, of people who come into your world and truly enrich your life. I have lost one of my closest buddies. He certainly enriched my life because of the person and the great player he was. John Regan was the best of us. He went out of his way pic.twitter.com/IEZ1Vi4CoR
— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) April 8, 2023
Regan played bass in Frampton's band from 1979 through 2010, The Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal reported. He left Frampton's band at the end of 2010 under amicable circumstances and the two remained friends and business partners, The Journal reported.
He also toured with Dave Edmunds, Stephen Stills and John Waite, according to his Facebook page.
John Regan's music history in NY and beyond
Regan played The Chance Theater with Frampton in 1971 and in the early 1980s, The Journal reported. He performed there again in 2014 and 2017 with his band Four By Fate. The club is also where Regan met his wife.
“When I started playing there, it was when I really made the decision that I wanted to make music a lifelong profession,” Regan told The Journal. “So many milestones of my life have been on that stage. That’s my home base right there.”
Since 2014, he co-hosted a local radio show after previously working as the Wappingers Falls parks commissioner, Ultimate Classic Rock reported.
Regan played on the 1985 remake of "Dancing in the Streets," recorded by Mick Jagger and David Bowie. He also recorded with the Rolling Stones, playing on the track "Winning Ugly" on the Stones' 1986 "Dirty Work" album, and he once auditioned for the legendary band's full-time bass slot.
Regan met Frehley in the mid-1980s at a friend’s recording studio in White Plains, New York, which led to Regan’s involvement with Frehley’s Comet, The Journal reported. His involvement with that band lasted until about 1990.
He rejoined Frampton to play on his Grammy-winning 2006 album "Fingerprints," which won the award for best pop instrumental album. Also playing on the album: The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule) and Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam).
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Regan dead: Bass player for Peter Frampton, Ace Frehley was 71
