David Bowie’s Guitarist John Hutchinson Passed Away

Rest in Peace

John Hutchinson, best known for his work with David Bowie, has passed away over the weekend at the hospital following a long illness. The heartbreaking news was confirmed via a post on Bowie’s official Twitter account that described Hutchinson as “a semi-retired and little-known jazz guitarist and a veteran of three important David Bowie bands for seven years between 1966 and 1973.”

Hutchinson was there in the early years of Bowie’s career, and he even played on the original version of “Space Oddity.” The official studio version, however, did not include the late guitarist.

He also performed in several bands with Bowie, and it all began in 1966 when he auditioned for Bowie in England. The rock legend then invited Hutchinson to be part of David Bowie and the Buzz as they were booked for a residency at London venue Marquee Club. Two years later in 1968, he co-founded the band Feathers with Bowie and Bowie’s then-partner Hermione Farthingale.

In 1973, Bowie once again asked Hutchinson to join the Spiders from Mars as a touring member. The latter joined the US, UK and Japan trek for “Aladdin Sane”.

Aside from Bowie, Hutchinson also supported Little Richard and Gene Vincent. He even pursued a career as a solo artist.