- He was a friend of former Marillion singer Fish, even offering him help to stop smoking a couple of years before he died. Following his death, Fish wrote a lengthy tribute and said: "He may have been put down as a "three chord" wonder by some but as I was privileged to hear on so many occasions they were the best fucking three chords a man could play.".
- Guitarist and singer of Status Quo.
- Joined Status Quo in 1967.
- He suffered from health problems for many years. He underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in 1997. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in December 2005. He blamed years of smoking fifty cigarettes a day for the disease. He suffered heart attacks in December 2011, August 2014 and June 2016. Despite all this, he continued to smoke cigarettes.
- He and Francis Rossi were each awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2010 Queen's New Years Honours List for their services to music and charity.
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