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Original guitarist for the Animals and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Hilton Valentine has died. He was 77.Â
“We, along with all of the music world, mourn the loss today of Hilton Valentine a founding member of The Animals. Valentine was a pioneering guitar player influencing the sound of rock and roll for decades to come,” ABKCO Music & Records said in a statement shared by Bob Merliss.
Valentine’s death was revealed by his wife, Germaine Valentine, according to the released statement. A cause of death was not immediately given.
The record company also issued condolences to Valentine’s family.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Hilton Valentine’s family and friends on his passing this morning, at the age of 77,” the Animals’ label, ABKCO Music & Records, wrote on Twitter Saturday.Â
Valentine’s guitar skills were most popularly on display in the opening riff of the Animals’ hit song “House of The Rising Sun.” The song was inducted into the Grammy’s Hall of Fame in 1999.Â
According to ABKO’s website, Valentine was recruited to join the Animals by Eric Burdon, Chas Chandler and Alan Price in 1963.
Lead singer of the Animals, Eric Burdon, mourned his bandmate in an Instagram post, writing: “The opening opus of Rising Sun will never sound the same!… You didn’t just play it, you lived it! Heartbroken by the sudden news of Hilton’s passing.”
Valentine was inducted in the 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class alongside bandmates, Burdon, Chas Chandler, Alan Price and John Steel.Â
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Valentine parted ways with the band four years after joining but periodically rejoined throughout the years and remained close with Burdon, joining him on tour in 2007 to 2008.
“We at Abkco have been privileged to serve as stewards of The Animals catalog and his passing is felt in a truly profound way by the entire Abkco family,” the Animals’ label said in a statement about Valentine’s passing.Â
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