Rick Parnell, who played drummer Mick Shrimpton in This Is Spinal Tap and later toured with the band, has died. He was 70.
Actor Harry Shearer announced the news on Twitter on Sunday, writing: “Rick Parnell, our drummer in This Is Spinal Tap, died today. No one has ever swung harder. ”
Further details, including the cause of death, were not immediately available.
Born in London in 1951, the son of jazz drummer Jack Parnell, the band’s longtime leader on The Muppet Show, Parnell played in bands including Horse, Atomic Rooster, Nova and Stars. He also played with Michael De Bares in the 1981 hit Tony Basil’s Hey Mickey.
But Parnell was probably best known for his role as Shrimpton in This Is Spinal Tap, the cult 1984 documentary.
Numerous predecessors of his character have suffered various strange deaths, including choking from vomiting and killed in an accident in the garden. Shrimpton explodes on stage while playing in Japan at the end of the film.
When Spinal Tap went on tour in the real world, Parnell took on the image of Shrimpton’s twin brother, Rick. The act appeared on Saturday Night Live and in 1992 released an album called Break Like the Wind.
De Bares wrote on Twitter on Monday that “even if he plays a parody, Parnell is a ‘flawless drummer in every genre.’
“Some musicians play a role,” De Barres said. “The others are rock’n’roll. Rick Parnell was the last. The real thing. Lost and found in a rhythm that was both shocking and beautiful. His heart is still beating. ”
Parnell recently lived in Missoula, Montana, where he hosted a radio show called Spontaneous Burning, which hinted at his death on This Is Spinal Tap.
“No one hits the drums harder than Rick,” wrote Michael McKean, who portrayed Spinal Tap frontman David St. Hubbins on a GoFundMe page to help pay for his death.
“He was the real deal. RIP, legend. “
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