WASHINGTON — A week after the death of rock legend David Bowie, the drummer of Mott the Hoople, whose biggest hit was a Bowie cover, has died. Dale Griffin was 67.
The band recorded “All the Young Dudes” in 1972, after Bowie offered them the song, as well as “Suffragette City,” in an effort to keep them from breaking up, Rolling Stone reports. They passed on the latter song, but “All the Young Dudes” was a Top 5 hit in the UK and a Top 40 hit in the States that summer, and was the title track for the group’s 1972 album.
Mott the Hoople broke up in 1980. Griffin, whose nickname was Buffin, had battled Alzheimer’s disease for several years, Rolling Stone reports, and when the band reunited for several shows in 2009, Griffin was only able to play the encores.
In 2010, he spoke in support of an Alzheimer’s Society campaign, The Telegraph reports, and said, “I used to be fearless, but Alzheimer’s has stopped me in my tracks. It is my dreadful little bug and I have to fight to keep it from controlling me. …
“It is really important for people to ‘remember the person’ and look beyond someone’s diagnosis of dementia. Many old friends now avoid me as they do not know what to say, which is really hurtful. I just wish they would realize that inside, I am still the same old ‘Buffin’ I always was.”
