The former bassist of the legendary German rock band Scorpions has died at the age of 71, his family said on Friday.
“We received a message to this effect from his daughter,” said Scorpions spokesman Peter Lanz.
The internationally successful band from the northern city of Hanover parted ways with Buchholz in 1992 after a dispute.
Buchholz died of cancer on Thursday, according to a post on his Facebook profile signed by his family, who said he “departed this world peacefully and surrounded by love.”
“Our hearts are shattered. Throughout his fight with cancer, we stayed by his side, facing every challenge as a family – exactly the way he taught us,” said the post.
In a post on the Scorpions’ Instagram account, the band said goodbye to a “longtime friend.”
“His legacy with the band will live on forever, and we will always remember the many good times we have shared together,” the statement continued, adding their condolences to his friends and family.
The last Scorpions album Buchholz worked on was “Crazy World,” released in 1990 and one of the band’s most commercially successful albums.
The album features the song “Wind of Change,” written by singer Klaus Meine, which became a de facto soundtrack to the end of the Cold War.
Buchholz’s first album with the Scorpions was “Fly to the Rainbow,” released in 1974. He played for the band until 1992 and was also on the road with the Scorpions during their epic 1984 world tour.
Performances included appearances at Madison Square Garden in New York and in Los Angeles. Classics such as “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “Still Loving You” also came out during this period, which is considered the band’s most successful.
Buchholz later collaborated with Michael Schenker on “Temple of Rock,” among other projects. Michael Schenker is the younger brother of Scorpions founder Rudolf Schenker.
Collaboration ended in court
Buchholz’s time with the Scorpions ended in a dispute and ultimately in court. The band parted ways with the bassist in 1992 after disputes.
Various courts, up to Germany’s Federal Court of Justice, dealt with the case which examined whether the bassist’s exclusion from the band was lawful. Ultimately, it was ruled that Buchholz’s dismissal was legal.
The Scorpions were founded in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker near Hanover and came to rank alongside such contemporaries as Van Halen, Aerosmith and AC/DC.
The German rockers built a hardcore following of millions of fans around the world, especially in South America, Russia and throughout Europe.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
