PETER FRAMPTON Pays Tribute To JOHN REGAN: 'I Have Lost One Of My Closest Buddies'

Legendary guitarist Peter Frampton (pictured) has paid tribute to acclaimed bassist John Regan who died on Friday (April 7) at the age of 71. No cause of death has been revealed.

Regan recorded and toured with Frampton from 1979 to 2011 and appeared on several of the guitarist's albums, beginning with 1980's "Rise Up".

Earlier today (Saturday, April 8),Frampton took to his Twitter to write: "There might only be a handful, if that, of people who come into your world and truly enrich your life. I have lost one of my closest buddies. He certainly enriched my life because of the person and the great player he was.

"John Regan was the best of us. He went out of his way to help people when things weren't right. It didn't matter who you were, prince or pauper.

"I know there are many of you out there who knew him. He was a friend to all. Always musically inspiring and one of the funniest people on the planet.

"My thoughts are with his wife Cathy, his children, Christopher and Jeness and his grandchildren.

"I love you my brother you will be missed by so many. Rest in peace."

Regan had performed with Tod Howarth, drummer Anton Fig of "Late Show With David Letterman" fame and original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley in the band FREHLEY'S COMET. His recording credits also include THE ROLLING STONES, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, David Lee Roth, Robin Trower, Billy Idol and many more.

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, Regan met Frehley in the mid-1980s at a friend's recording studio in White Plains, New York. The two got together for a jam session, playing Jimi Hendrix and LED ZEPPELIN tunes, and that led to Regan's involvement with FREHLEY'S COMET. His tenure with that band lasted until about 1990.

Late Friday, Howarth paid tribute to Regan, writing on social media in part: "John of course was a world class talent and an incredible human being and from a personal level, he was responsible for me joining him with Ace and Anton. He was also responsible for the championing of my song 'It's Over Now'.

"There's way too much to say and it's hard to type, stopping and starting constantly. I really haven't stopped crying most of today as the music world loses another and trying to respond to everyone (thank you all, 'love you dearly) I just, I just can't. Again what's more important is the man, the music, love, talent and friendship that he shared for his 71 years.

"We're all shattered and I know his family is devastated..."

Asked about Frehley, Regan told the Poughkeepsie Journal: "He's a kook, in a good sense. In a world full of copies, he's a one-off. He's an original."

And regarding the allure of KISS, the hard rockers known for outlandish costumes and makeup, Regan said: "It was almost like getting a rock band and a circus on the same night. It was an event ... It was a multi-sensory experience ... It was a total immersion in this spectacle that nobody else was doing."

In a 2016 interview with Songfacts, John stated about his approach to working with big-name artists: "I have been fortunate to have worked with artists that did not dictate on any level. Keeping in mind, that I have always approached my contribution to a recording or live performance as one of 'facilitator.' By that I mean it is always in the forefront of my mind to try and play my bass parts to best serve the song, singer and my fellow musicians. Peter [Frampton] in particular is a pleasure to work with in that regard. For the better part of 31 years, from 1979 through 2010, it was an honor to compose and perform his music."

Regarding his studio work with other artists, John said: "Spending time working in studio with the likes of Frampton, Billy Idol, Mick Jagger and David Bowie, THE ROLLING STONES, Michael Monroe and legendary producers such as Eddie Kramer and Nile Rodgers, just to name a few, has been nothing short of awe inspiring and profoundly enjoyable. Suffice to say, each project had moments that I was pinching myself, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"One experience that became a high-water mark was getting the call from Nile Rodgers, through my dear friend Rob Sabino, to stop by and replace a bass part on the track that David Bowie and Mick Jagger had recorded for Live Aid: 'Dancing In The Street'. That song had long been favorite of mine, but when I arrived at the studio to find Mick Jagger greeting me, it was something I will never forget.

"My most vivid memory of that day was that it happened to be one of those rare occasions that the part that made the final recording was a first take for me, but as I was laying down the bass track I could see Mick dancing around the studio, just getting into the music as if he were onstage. Powerful moment in time for me, and it hit home how much Jagger was moved by the power of the song, and how sincere his love of music must be."

In recent years, Regan and Howarth had both performed with FOUR BY FATE. The seeds for that band were planted nearly 40 years ago, when Regan encountered Howarth while Tod was on tour performing with Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers CHEAP TRICK. Howarth and Regan were later joined in FOUR BY FATE by guitarist/songwriter Patrick James Gasperini (POUND, FLYWHEEL) and former SKID ROW drummer Rob Affuso.