He “passed away peacefully” following a battle with lung disease, his wife said.
“Denny joined Wings at the outset,” McCartney says. “He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now’ an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly. He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre’ which was a big hit in the Seventies.”
Beginning her post to his page on Tuesday, she wrote: “My darling husband passed away peacefully early this morning.
“I was at his bedside, holding his hand as I played his favourite Christmas songs for him. He’s been singing Christmas songs the past few weeks and I continued to play Christmas songs while he’s been in ICU on a ventilator this past week.
“He and I both believed he would overcome his health setbacks and return to the rehabilitation centre and eventually home.
Laine was also a founding member of the Moody Blues.
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“I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues,” McCartney wrote on Instagram. “Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together.”
McCartney continued: “Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now’ an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly. He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre’ which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.”
News of Laine’s death had earlier been confirmed in a social media statement by his wife, Elizabeth Hines.
“My darling husband passed away peacefully early this morning,” Hines wrote on Instagram. “I was at his bedside, holding his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him. He’s been singing Christmas songs the past few weeks and I continued to play Christmas songs while he’s been in ICU on a ventilator this past week.”
Laine’s death came after a short battle with Interstitial Lung Disease. “Each infection weakened and damaged his lungs,” wrote Hines. “He fought every day. He was so strong and brave, never complained. All he wanted was to be home with me and his pet kitty, Charley, playing his gypsy guitar.”
