Ivan Král, a former member of Patti Smith Group who also worked with Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and John Waite, has died at the age of 71.
Král passed away on Sunday at his home in Michigan following a battle with cancer, according to AFP.
After a briefly stint in Blondie, Král linked up with Patti Smith as a founding member of Patti Smith Group in 1975. He would appear on the band’s first four albums, including their landmark debut Horses, as well as Radio Ethiopia, Easter, and Wave.
In addition to playing guitar and bass for Patti Smith Group, Král co-wrote many of the group’s songs, such as “Dancing Barefoot”, “Ask the Angels”, “Pissing in a River”, and “25th Floor”.
Král departed Patti Smith Group in order to work with Iggy Pop on his 1979 album Soldier and 1981’s Party. He also collaborated with John Waite on 1982’s Ignition, co-write several songs with Mark Ronson, and briefly flirted with forming a band alongside John Cale and Chris Spedding.
Between 1982 and 1993, Král ran a New York City recording studio called PAWS, where the likes of Mick Jagger and The B-52s worked out of.
