Barry Mitchell, who played bass for Queen before John Deacon joined, dies as tributes pour in

Barry Mitchell, who played bass for Queen in the band's formative months before John Deacon completed the line-up that conquered the world, has died. The news was confirmed by Greg Brooks, Queen's official archivist, who wrote: "Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player, Barry Mitchell, has passed away."

Mitchell died on 17 August. He was Queen's second bassist, joining in August 1970 — months after Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor first came together — and staying until January 1971. In that short window he played 13 concerts with the band and laid down the original bass lines for songs that would later appear on Queen's early records.

At a glance

• Mitchell died on 17 August 2026; Queen archivist Greg Brooks confirmed the news
• He was Queen's second bassist, playing from August 1970 to January 1971
• He performed 13 concerts with Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor
• He played the original bass lines for 'Liar' and 'Son and Daughter'
• After his exit, Doug Bogie played two gigs before John Deacon completed the classic line-up in 1971
• He remained a warm presence at Queen fan conventions for decades

Thirteen concerts at the start of something enormous

Mitchell arrived in Queen through a recommendation to drummer Roger Taylor, having previously played in a band called Conviction. The Queen he joined in August 1970 was a struggling London club act; Freddie Mercury had only just renamed the group. Over the following five months Mitchell played 13 shows with the band and worked up the original bass parts for 'Liar' and 'Son and Daughter' — lines that John Deacon would later adapt when the songs were recorded and performed live.

He left in January 1971. Doug Bogie briefly filled in for two concerts before Deacon auditioned the following month and completed the four-piece that recorded every Queen album.

A life in and out of music

Mitchell's musical story did not end with Queen. He had also played with Crushed Butler, the London group later known as Tiger that music historians have described as one of Britain's proto-punk pioneers. He stepped away from the industry for a long stretch before returning in the 1990s with the band Jayne Raydio, performing alongside Steve Ray, Frank Carter and Darren Claxton.

Originally from London, where he attended Claremont High School in Harrow in the mid-1960s, Mitchell was living in Northampton at the time of his death. He is survived by two daughters.

The man the fans knew

For Queen's fan community, Mitchell was far more than a line in the band's early history. He was a regular and generous presence at Queen conventions, where he spoke frankly and fondly about the group's chaotic early days. "His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight," Brooks wrote in his tribute.

Fans echoed that warmth in their own messages, remembering "a really nice man" and "a lovely man" from convention meetings stretching back years. Fellow musician Mark Cotterill called him "a genuinely lovely man" who "had some great stories to tell" about his career.

A footnote that mattered

Every legendary band has its almost-members, and history has often treated them unkindly. Mitchell was a rare exception: he spoke about his brief Queen tenure without bitterness, and the band's own archivist counted him a friend. His bass lines survive, transformed, inside songs still played to millions — an unusual kind of immortality for a musician most listeners have never heard of.

His death severs one of the last living links to Queen's pre-fame club years, a period documented more through memory than recordings — which is precisely why his convention appearances were so valued.

What happens next

Tributes are expected to continue from the Queen fan community, with the band's official channels yet to publish a formal statement beyond the archivist's confirmation. No funeral details have been made public. For fans, the fitting memorial is already there: the opening bass figures of 'Liar', first worked out by a bassist who spent five months in the right band at the wrong time.