Barry Mitchell bass player passes at 76, closing the chapter on Queen’s second bassist and an early collaborator with Freddie Mercury. Greg Brooks said the news was “Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player… has passed away,” and added that Mitchell “He Will Be Greatly Missed.”
Queen in August 1970
Mitchell joined Queen in August 1970 after Mike Grose departed, then played 13 gigs with Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor over six months. That puts him inside the band’s earliest working lineup, before John Deacon later completed the classic bass role. For Queen listeners, his name sits at the start of the group’s first serious run, not at the end of it.
Rolling Stone in 2018
In a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, Mitchell said he was not enthusiastic enough about the group’s musical direction and did not see the potential that would soon make Queen one of the biggest bands in the world. That admission matters because it explains why his exit came before the band’s rise hardened into legend: he was there for the formation, but not for the breakout.
After leaving Queen in January 1971, Mitchell joined Crushed Butler, later renamed Tiger. Biographers have credited Tiger as Britain’s first proto-punk act, which gives his career a second lane beyond early Queen history and places him in another important strain of rock development.
Greg Brooks on Facebook
Greg Brooks also said Mitchell’s stories at fan conventions were “fascinating and offered rare insight,” a reminder that Mitchell remained part of the band’s living memory long after his short stint ended. Gary Taylor wrote “RIP Barry Mitchell, Queen's second bass player” and recalled “very interesting chats over the years,” a small but direct measure of how Mitchell was remembered by people around the scene.
Mitchell is survived by two daughters, and his exact cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. For readers who only know the bigger Queen story, the practical takeaway is simple: one of the band’s earliest members is gone, and the record of those first 13 gigs now carries more weight than nostalgia usually allows.
