Dale Griffin dead; Mott the Hoople drummer was 67

Dale Griffin, a drummer for British glam-rock stalwarts Mott the Hoople, has died at age 67.

He died Sunday, Peter Purnell, of Mott’s label Angel Air Records, told the BBC. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a decade ago.

A native of Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, he was a founding member of the group, which took its name from a British novel of the 1960s and featured singer Ian Hunter and guitarist Mick Ralphs. In 1972, they scored their biggest hit with the David Bowie-penned and -produced raucous anthem “All the Young Dudes.” The group’s songs also included “All the Way From Memphis” and “Roll Away the Stone.”

The band split by the mid-’70s, and Griffin later worked as a producer for BBC live music sessions, with artists including Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins and Pulp.

Mott the Hoople reformed in 2009, but Griffin was already ill and appeared only during encores, his place otherwise taken by Martin Chambers, of the Pretenders.

Griffin is survived by his long-term partner, Jean Smith.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story included a wrong photo.

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