(Credit: Sweet)

Steve Priest, the British bassist, backing vocalist and founding member of of the rock band Sweet, has passed away at the age of 72.

“Then there was one! I am in pieces right now,” the band wrote in a statement on social media. “Steve Priest has passed away. His wife Maureen and I have kept in contact and though his health was failing I never envisaged this moment. Never. My thoughts are with his family.

“He was the best bass player I ever played with. The noise we made as a band was so powerful. From that moment in the summer of 1970 when set off on our Musical Odyssey the world opened up and the rollercoaster ride started! He eventually followed his heart and moved to the USA. First New York then LA.

“Rest in Peace brother. All my love.”

Sweet, a glam rock band who shot to international fame in the 1970s, released nine studio albums in total with the most recent being shared in 1982 with Identity Crisis. The group initially formed in London in 1968 and achieved, going after immediate success, they secured their first hit with the release of ‘Funny Funny’ and didn’t look back.

Alongside vocalist Brian Connolly, drummer Mick Tucker, and guitarist Frank Torpey, Priest played a crucial role in the success of Sweet after being heavily inspired by the likes of the Shadows, the Rolling Stones and The Who.

Steve Priest is survived by his wife, Maureen, three daughters, Lisa, Danielle and Maggie and the grandchildren, Jordan, Jade and Hazel.