Former Chiswick Resident Martin Duffy Dies in Fall

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Primal Scream keyboardist described as 'the real deal, our shining star'


Martin Duffy. Picture: Twitter/@SteveDuffy99

December 20, 2022

Martin Duffy, who played keyboards for a number of bands, including Primal Scream has died aged 55.

Martin lived in the Bedford Park area of Chiswick for several years with his young family before moving to the south coast and was often seen in local pubs such as the Duke of Sussex and the Tabard.

According to a statement issued by his family, he suffered a brain injury after a fall at his home in Brighton.

His brother Steve, a BBC journalist said that Martin, “passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and his beloved son Louie. He was loved by his mother, brothers, wider family and close friends. Everyone who knew Martin loved him; he was the real deal, our shining star.”

Born in Birmingham in 1967, he got his musical talent from his mother who was a peripatetic piano teacher and, aged 16, he answered a flier posted in a record shop to join indie-band Felt. He also recorded with the Charlatans.

His piano playing was internationally renowned with top American musicians such as James Luther Dickinson, Roger Hawkins and David Hood lauding his talent.

He joined Primal Scream in 1991, having recorded with them before that, and was widely acknowledged as the most musically proficient member of the band. Lead singer Bobby Gillespie wrote on Instagram, “I’ve known Martin since he was a teenager in Felt. He played keyboards on every album of ours from the first to the last. Finally joining the band in 1991. Martin was a very special character. He had a love and understanding of music on a deep spiritual level. Music meant everything to him.

“He loved literature and was well read and erudite. An autodidact. A deep thinker, curious about the world and other cultures. Always visiting museums in every city we played or looking for neolithic stones in remote places. Opinionated and stubborn in his views.”

Primal Scream bassist Simone Marie Butler added to the tributes saying, “You would struggle to find a more genuine, gifted, funny, kind hearted, caring, naturally talented person who played like no one else … Your light will always burn Duffy. Everyone who knew him loved, everyone who met him loved him. He was a pure genuine soul.”

The announcement of his death comes just a day after the news of the passing of Terry Hall, another music legend from the West Midlands.

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