Mick Ralphs, guitarist and founding member of rock supergroup Bad Company, died Monday, June 23, 2025, at age 81. Upon hearing the sad news, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott took to social media to remember his lifelong friend.
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“I just heard the news … totally heartbroken … Mick has been a constant companion through my musical journey & he was one of the kindest souls I ever met,” wrote the iconic vocalist on Def Leppard’s official Instagram account. “The world is a poorer place today.”
The band shared a picture of Elliott planting a smooch on the former Mott the Hoople guitarist’s face.
Joe Elliott Will Feature on Bad Company Tribute Album
Joe Elliott is contributing to Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company, out this fall. Full details are still pending. However, Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke previously revealed that the “Hysteria” rocker will sing on a reimagining of “Seagull,” off the band’s self-titled 1973 debut.
At the end of every Def Leppard concert, Elliott tells the crowd, “Don’t you ever forget us, and we’ll never forget you!” He took that line from “Saturday Gigs,” his favorite band’s farewell single. Elliott became a fan of Mott the Hoople when he heard them on the 1971 Island Records compilation El Pea.
“The first time I saw them live was in 2009 the first of the two warm up (reunion) shows in Monmouth, Wales,” he said. “I missed them the first time around, but made up for it by seeing every reunion show in 2009 and 2013!”
[RELATED: 5 Classic Songs Featuring Mott the Hoople/Bad Company Guitarist Mick Ralphs]
Indeed, Elliott’s admiration for Mott the Hoople runs deep. Along with several others, he formed the tribute band Down ‘n’ Outz in 2009. The band has released three studio albums, with their most recent, This Is How We Roll, coming in 2019.
Ralphs suffered a stroke just days after his final Bad Company performance at London’s O2 Arena on Oct. 29, 2016. He never returned to the band, and the stroke affected him until his death.
He is survived by his partner, Susie Chavasse, his two children, three step-children and his bandmates Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke.
Featured image by K C Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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