Rock Star Who Turned Down Being the Frontman for Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple Dies at 75

British rocker Terry “Superlungs” Reid passed away at 75 after a battle with cancer (via The Guardian). He never topped the charts, but you knew Reid’s work when you heard it.

Reid was looked up to by so many other rock legends. When he was 16, The Rolling Stones brough him on tour. Later, Jimmy Page wanted him as the frontman of a band he was starting. Reid turned down the offer to stick to his solo career, so Page turned to Robert Plant and John Bonham instead to form what would ultimately become the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin.

“I contributed half the band—that’s enough on my part,” he joked with the outlet just last year.

That wasn’t the only opportunity Reid passed on. He also said no to fronting Deep Purple, even though Ritchie Blackmore came knocking.

Why? Because Reid was always more focused on doing things his own way, not chasing someone else’s dream.

He recorded a handful of soulful, critically respected albums like River and Seed of Memory, the kind of records musicians and crate diggers swear by. Aretha Franklin once said there were only three things happening in England: “The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Terry Reid.”

The “Rich Kid Blues” singer didn’t ride the wave of commercial success. Still, his songs got covered by everyone from Marianne Faithfull to Chris Cornell. Jack White, DJ Shadow, and even Dr. Dre were fans. Dre pulled him into the studio to rework Seed of Memory with a new twist in 2004.

Throughout his life, Reid kept showing up in unexpected places quietly legendary, always authentic. Now, he’s being remembered for it. “One of the absolute top voices of all rockdom,” Rick Springfield, 75, wrote on Instagram. “Listen to ‘Stay With me Baby.’ Death sucks. I wish it wasn’t so. God?”

Plant, 76, also posted on Instagram about Reid’s passing. “Terry Reid’s enthusiasm and encouragement were incredible back then,” he wrote. “Still teenagers we crashed each others’ gigs and crucified Season of the Witch time and time again … So much fun. So on it. He was all of everything … such charisma.

He continued: “His voice, his range … his songs capturing that carefree era … Superlungs indeed. He catapulted me into an intense new world he chose to decline … I listen now to his album The River and shed a tear for my brother in arms.”

“Rest in peace Terry Reid,” DJ Shadow posted. “A brilliant talent whose music will live on for future generations to explore and admire.”

Even as he was battling cancer and canceled a tour, fans rallied behind Reid. A crowdfunding campaign was set up to support his care, and tributes are rolling in. Guitar god Joe Bonamassa called him “one of the greatest to ever do it and a beautiful person and soul.”

But Reid never needed the spotlight. He just needed a guitar, a mic, and his own lane, which he stayed in his entire career.

Rock Star Who Turned Down Being the Frontman for Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple Dies at 75 first appeared on Men’s Journal on Aug 6, 2025