Manny Charlton, popularly known for being one of the founding members of the rock band Nazareth, passed away at the age of 80.
According to Blabbermouth, the tragic news was confirmed by his grandson, Jamie Charlton, on social media by posting a photo of himself with the rock legend.
He captioned the post with "RIP Grandad."
As of this writing, the family has not released an official statement. Charlton's cause of death also remains a mystery.
According to SF Gate, the musician served as the Scottish hard rock band's guitarist, songwriter, and producer from the year they were founded until 1990.
He was a part of the group's most iconic albums like "Hair of the Dog" in 1975 and "Razamanaz" in 1973.
Everly Brothers' hit song "Love Hurts" was also covered by the band, and it became successful, leading them to hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Aside from working with his own band, he also collaborated with other iconic groups like Guns N' Roses.
Per the outlet, frontman Axl Rose reportedly wanted the man who produced "Hair of the Dog" to produce their group's debut album.
The band collaborated with Charlton and recorded over 25 songs at the Sound City studio in Los Angeles, California.
All of the tracks have been "bootlegged," but some of them made it to future B-side releases or bonus songs.
Charlton later dropped out from the project because he had commitments with his original band.
The album was officially produced by Mike Clink, and it became successful after selling millions of copies worldwide.
Manny Charlton spent his early days in Spain, but his family moved to Dunfermline, Scotland.
Throughout the 1960s, the guitarist explored his passion by playing for numerous local bands, but he ended up in the group Shadettes, later renamed Nazareth in 1968.
Current members include Pete Agnew, Jimmy Murrison, Lee Agnew, and Carl Sentance. They had former bandmates in the past, including Darrell Sweet, Zal Cleminson, Billy Rankin, Ronnie Leahy, and many more.
The group became successful in its early years as it had a distinct sound that was a hit with the public.
Charlton's guitar skills mainly were compared to blues, while Dan McCafferty's "sandpaper vocals" complimented the sounds.
Throughout their career, Nazareth had 17 studio albums and numerous tours from the 70s until the 80s.
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