Wings and Moody Blues Co-Founder Denny Laine Dead of 'Aggressive' Interstitial Lung Disease at 79

Laine's wife confirmed his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday, writing that she would love him forever

Denny Laine, who co-founded British rock band Wings with Paul McCartney, has died. He was 79.

Laine's wife announced the news in a lengthy post on social media Tuesday, sharing that he died of interstitial lung disease.

“I was at his bedside holdings his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him," his wife Elizabeth Hines wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. "He’s been singing Christmas songs the past few weeks and I continued to play Christmas songs while he’s been in ICU on a ventilator this past week."

She went on to explain that his lung disease was "unpredictable" and "aggressive." She also thanked readers for sending love and support during his "health crisis."

“My world will never be the same. Denny was an amazingly wonderful person, so loving and sweet to me. He made my days colorful, fun, and full of life – just like him," she wrote. "Thank you sweetie for loving me, for all the laughter, friendship, fun and for asking me to be your wife. I will love you forever."

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Laine was raised in Birmingham, England and found success in 1964 when he formed Moody Blues with Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder. Months later, they recorded a cover of Bessie Banks' "Go Now" with Laine on vocals and guitar. The song hit No. 1 in England — though Laine quit shortly after the release of their 1965 debut LP The Magnificent Moodies.

Then, in 1971, he joined forces with Paul and Linda McCartney to form Wings. Laine and Paul met when Moody Blues toured with the Beatles. Together, they released Wild Life and began touring.

Throughout the '70s, Wings released hits like “Live and Let Die,” “Jet,” “Silly Love Songs,” and “Band on the Run.” They eventually split in 1981 after Paul, now 81, was arrested in Japan for marijuana possession while on tour, per Rolling Stone.

“Me and Paul, we had the same influences musically and had known each other since the ’60s,” Laine told Billboard earlier this year. “It was just easy. It was easy to get a good groove on each other’s songs, and I think that’s what made the album popular.”

Laine went on to release various solo albums and toured. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Moody Blues.

“I thought [the rest of the band] deserved it because of the amount of work and the popularity, and I thought that’s the way it goes,” Laine, who was initially left off the list of inductees told Billboard.“Obviously, I’m very pleased I’m going to be in there. It’s an honor. I think I’m at least a little part of their story, so I feel very content, really, that it’s all come full circle now.”

Following the news of his death, Paul shared a touching tribute on Facebook to his ex-bandmate.

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"I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues. Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together," he wrote. "Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now’ an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly."

"He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre’ which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together," he added.

The "Hey Jude" singer concluded, "Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humour and was always ready to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great fondness by his friends. I send my condolences and best wishes to his wife, Elizabeth and family."

Axl Rose also paid tribute on X (formerly known as Twitter), writing, "Very sorry to hear of the passing of Denny Laine. Wings has always (on the daily) been a big part of my life. RIP."

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