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Ian Bairnson, the Scottish musician and guitarist who played for Kate Bush on her 1978 hit single Wuthering Heights, died on April 7, 2023, at the Lynwood Care Home in Ascot, UK. His partner, Leila Bairnson, announced the news on her official Instagram page. She said that her husband passed away on April 7, and that he was the "sweetest, kindest, loving" husband she could have hoped for.
Musician Alan Parsons, who was Ian Bairson's long-time collaborator and friend, took to Facebook to pay tributes to Ian after news of his death was made public. Parsons said that he was "deeply saddened" by the news of Ian Bairson's death. He said that he considered Ian a musical genius and that it was a "great pleasure" to work with him on every album by The Alan Parsons Project. Parsons noted that Ian played with several talented artists throughout his musical career.
While Ian Bairnson was battling dementia for years before his death, his immediate cause of death wasn't revealed at the time of writing this article.
Ian Bairnson was diagnosed with dementia around 2018
The guitarist was diagnosed with dementia sometime before 2018, this was announced by Leila in a now-deleted Facebook post. She announced that the guitarist will stop doing live performances.
Leila added that he was Ian was diagnosed with a progressive neurological condition that affected his communication skills. She noted that while he wouldn't play in public anymore, Ian would continue to play the guitar and piano for his "own pleasure."
Leila Bairnson expressed gratitude to Ian's fans for their support and love and assured them that the guitarist was healthy and getting good care. She noted that while they were sad that fans wouldn't be able to attend the tribute to the project in Italy, Ian's family hoped that fans would understand the situation.
Fans took to Twitter to pay tributes to Ian Bairnson
After fans heard the news of his death, they took to social media to express their grief about the musician's death. While some said that they were unaware of his solo at the end of Wuthering Heights, others just said that they loved his music and would miss him.
What we know about Ian Bairnson
The guitarist was born on 3 August 1953 in Lerwick, Shetland Isles, Scotland. He grew up in Levenwick in his early years, before his family eventually moved to Edinburgh.
The guitarist began his career as a session musician before forming the band Pilot with former Bay City Rollers musicians David Paton and Billy Lyall in 1973. The band received critical acclaim with their debut studio album, titled From The Album of the Same Name.
The album's single Magic became an overnight international hit, peaking as a chart-topper on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart as well as at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Alongside his work with Pilot, Ian Bairnson was the guitarist for the first four albums of singer-songwriter Kate Bush. They include The Kick Inside (1975), Lionheart (1978), Never for Ever (1980), and The Dreaming (1982).
The guitarist was a longtime collaborator for the Alan Parsons Project. He played in their first fourteen studio albums, including the Grammy award-winning 1982 album, Eye in the Sky.
