Founding Bad Company and Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs sadly died on June 23 at age 81, following years of poor health due to a stroke he suffered in 2016. On a positive note, Ralphs lived long enough to find out that Bad Company has been chosen for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later in 2025.
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In a recent interview with New York City radio station Q104.3-FM, Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke discussed how he felt about Ralphs’ passing, and also shared a humorous story about Mick’s reaction to the Rock Hall honor.
[RELATED: Mick Ralphs of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople Dead at 81]
“I’ve got mixed feelings about [Mick’s death], because I loved him, but he had no quality of life,” Kirke admitted. “As most people know, he suffered a stroke about nine years ago that rendered him [paralyzed on] the whole left side. So he couldn’t play guitar anymore. His final years were painful, and painful to witness.”
Simon also shared a recollection about the last time he spoke with Ralphs, which he said was a phone on Mick’s most recent birthday, on March 31.
“He couldn’t talk, but I just told him I loved him,” Kirke said. “And you can’t really say anything more than that.”
Ralphs’ Reaction to Bad Company’s Rock Hall Honor
Kirke also told Q104.3 DJ Ken Dashow that Ralphs was “one of the funniest guys I’ll ever remember.” As an example, he told a hilarious story about how Mick reacted when his wife informed him in April about Bad Company getting the nod to be inducted into the Rock Hall.
“Well, apparently, before [Mick’s] speech completely left him, when he got the news … he sort of mumbled to his wife,” Simon noted. “She said, ‘Mick, Bad Company [is] finally in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.’ And Mick said, ‘Does that mean we get free hot dogs?’ Go figure. After [so many] years of waiting, that was his first statement.”
As previously reported, Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8. The ceremony will be held in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater, and will be livestreamed on Disney+.
The other 2025 honorees in the Performers category are Soundgarden, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, The White Stripes, Outkast, and Chubby Checker.
Bad Company was nominated for the first time in 2025 after being eligible for induction since 1998. The band’s four founding members will be welcomed into the Rock Hall—Ralphs, Kirke, singer Paul Rodgers, and late bassist Boz Burrell. Burrell died of a heart attack in 2006 at the age of 60.
Kirke’s Other Comments About Ralphs
Also during the radio interview, Kirke spoke highly of Ralphs and of his experience playing with him in Bad Company.
“B.B. King said a great thing years ago,” Simon noted. “He said, ‘When you like a musician, it’s much easier to work with him than working with geniuses.’ And I’ve worked with geniuses, and B.B. King is a hundred percent right. Mick was a great guitarist—don’t get me wrong. He was a very, very good lead guitarist, good rhythm guitarist, wrote great songs, but above all that, I just liked being with him. And we were together pretty much from day one through all the different [Bad Company] lineups. Mick was always there.”
Among the classic Bad Company songs written or co-written by Ralphs are “Can’t Get Enough,” “Movin’ On,” “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”
(Photo by Will Ireland/Guitarist Magazine/Future via Getty Images)
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