Francis Buchholz, the former bassist for the rock band Scorpions, has passed away at the age of 71. His family confirmed his death on January 23, announcing via a Facebook post that he died peacefully after a private battle with cancer.
The family expressed profound sadness and thanked fans for their loyalty, love, and belief, noting that Buchholz's soul would endure through his music.
Born on February 19, 1954, in Hanover, West Germany, Buchholz began his career playing with guitarist Uli Jon Roth in the hard rock band Dawn Road. Both musicians subsequently joined Scorpions, with Buchholz making his recording debut on the band's 1974 album, 'Fly To The Rainbow'.
Buchholz remained with Scorpions until 1992, even after Roth's departure in 1978. During his tenure, he contributed to several classic albums, including 'Love Drive' (1979), 'Blackout' (1982), and 'Love At First Sting' (1984), as well as live albums 'Tokyo Tapes' (1978) and 'World Wide Live' (1985). His final album with the band was 'Crazy World' (1990), where he received his only co-songwriting credit for the track 'Kicks After Six'.
Following his departure from Scorpions, Buchholz toured with Uli Jon Roth and recorded with the Hanover-based band Dreamtide. He later reunited with former Scorpions member Michael Schenker in his Temple Of Rock band, recording two albums: 'Bridge the Gap' (2013) and 'Spirit on a Mission' (2015).