The Charlatans singer Tim Burgess has led the tributes to David Bowie and Lou Reed bassist Herbie Flowers saying he “made the greats sound greater” following his death at the age of 86. It comes after Flowers’s death was confirmed by close family members on Facebook. In a post on Twitter, Burgess said: “Farewell Herbie Flowers, he made the greats sound greater.
” Bowie’s estate also paid tribute to the star’s former collaborator, saying: “We are very sad to learn of the passing of Herbie Flowers in the last couple of days. “His work with Bowie and associates over the years is too long to list here. “Aside from his incredible musicianship over many decades, he was a beautiful soul and a very funny man.
He will be sorely missed. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends.” Suede bass player Mat Osman, also joined in with tributes, adding: “RIP Herbie Flowers.
So many great basslines – imagine having played on Space Oddity, Walk on the Wild Side and Rock On.” Flowers, who was born in Isleworth in 1938, began his career in the 1960s as a session musician playing for producers, including Shel Talmy, Mickie Most and Tony Visconti, before becoming a founding member of Blue Mink in 1969, playing on their UK number three single, Melting Pot. By the 1970s, he was playing with some of the biggest and most influential artists of the decade such as Bowie, Sir Elton John and Reed.
In 1972, he played on Reed’s pioneering Transformer album, giving the single.