Joey Molland has died. The last surviving member of Badfinger, Molland died on March 1 surrounded by his family, according to his official Facebook page. He was 77.
Per the post, Molland’s girlfriend, Mary Joyce, his two sons, and other family members were present when he died.
“The day we never wanted to see has arrived,” the post read in part. “… Long Live Badfinger. Thank you, Joey…for keeping the band’s music alive for so long and for being a friend to us all.”
While no cause of death has been disclosed, Molland had been battling health issues in the months before he died. On a GoFundMe page, Joyce detailed some of what led Molland to be hospitalized.
“Joey was vaguely ill throughout the fall, and then in early December acquired a very bad bacterial infection due to his diabetes,” she wrote. “The infection caused septicemia and traveled through his body, causing harm in multiple critical organs and bones. His recovery has been slow and arduous, including several surgeries and procedures.”
Then, in a February Facebook update, Joyce wrote about some of the “very complicated medical issues” her partner was facing. Those included low oxygen, pneumonia, diabetes, and declining cognitive abilities.
“He is very fragile right now,” she wrote in part. “But he is pure Joey when he is more with-it. We just need more of those times.”
Joey Molland’s Life and Career
Molland, a guitarist, joined Badfinger following the band’s signing to The Beatles’ label, Apple Records, in 1968. He played in the band alongside Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, and Tom Evans.
The band went on to have great success with tracks including “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” “Baby Blue,” and “Without You.”
Bandfinger’s downward descent started with the crumbling of Apple Records. Amid the turmoil, Ham died by suicide in 1975, leading to the band’s initial breakup. In the years that followed, Evans died by suicide and Gibbins died from a brain aneurysm, making Molland the last surviving band member.
In addition to his work with Bandfinger, Molland released several solo albums, most recently 2020’s Be True to Yourself. He most recently toured in as part of a Beatles tribute, taking the stage under the name Joey Molland’s Badfinger.
