Barry Mitchell, Queen's second bassist who played with the band for six months between August 1970 and January 1971, has died. The news was confirmed by Greg Brooks, Queen's official archivist, in a Facebook post shared on August 21, 2026.
Archivist confirms death of early Queen bassist
Brooks posted a black-and-white photo of Mitchell alongside the message: 'Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player (circa 1970), Barry Mitchell, has passed away. His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight. He will be greatly missed.'
Mitchell reportedly played the original bass lines for early Queen songs such as Liar and Son And Daughter. His influence is said to have continued with the iconic rock band during its rise to fame with Freddie Mercury and Brian May.
Tributes pour in from friends and fans
Gary Taylor, a friend, wrote on social media: 'RIP Barry Mitchell, Queen's second bass player, who sadly passed away on August 17th. He was a great guy, and a friend, and we had some very interesting chats over the years on the phone and in person. Here is one of the last photos I took of Barry playing live on stage at the Edinburgh Queen Day in 2018.'
Another friend, Mark Cotterill, said: 'Farewell to a genuinely lovely man. A pleasure to call him friend. He had time for everyone at the Queen conventions. He had some great stories to tell re his music career. A man who could make any hat look cool. RIP Barry.'
A fan wrote: 'So very sad. Another piece of living history gone.'
Mitchell's brief but notable Queen tenure
Queen formed in London in the late 1960s and played with other bassists before Mitchell joined the outfit for a series of gigs. He performed with the group for thirteen concerts before his exit in January 1971. Doug Bogie was brought in to replace him for two gigs before John Deacon's addition as the permanent bassist.
After leaving Queen, Mitchell went on to play with Crushed Butler, later known as Tiger, a band that has been hailed as 'Britain's first proto-punk band' by biographers.
Personal background and survivors
Mitchell, who was from London, lived in Northampton before his death. He attended Claremont High School in Harrow in the mid-1960s, according to his social media. Mitchell is survived by two daughters.
