Yet more tragic news for lovers of classic rock - Mott The Hoople drummer and founding member Dale Griffin has passed away, aged 67, Gigwise reports.

The 70s rockers, who rose to fame with the likes of 'Roll Away The Stone' and David Bowie's 'All The Young Dudes', made eight albums in their 70s heyday before splitting after five and a half years. They reformed in 2009, but Griffin was too unwell to participate in the reunion shows.

Now, it is said that Griffin passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, January 17 evening. He had been suffering from Alzheimers since 2009.

"One of the nicest, friendly and talented men I have ever known," wrote Peter Purnell from Angel Air Records on Facebook. "All he ever wanted was for his beloved Mott The Hoople to reform and it was his determination that achieved that very feat in 2009 but sadly by then he was too ill to perform at the five sold out dates though he did join the band for encores."

Slowdive also paid tribute to Griffin for the production work he did with them:

Dale is survived by his long term partner Jean Smith.