Fred Smith, the bass player for the band Television, passed away on Thursday. He was 77 years old.
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The band confirmed his passing in an Instagram announcement.
Jimmy Rip, who played guitar for the group from 2007 to 2023, called Smith a "natural" talent.
"The legendary bassist for Television, Tom Verlaine, and many others, Fred Smith, was not only my bandmate for 46 years — he was my true friend," Rip wrote. "Yesterday, he left this world, leaving so many who loved him wanting so much more...of him."
Jimmy and Fred first became friends when they were in the Eve Moon Band together, which was active in the early 80s. From there, they would embark on a friendship that would last 46 years.
"He was a great running buddy and exactly the guy you wanted around when road life got wearisome. His sense of humor, much like his musical voice, was dry, subtle, to the point, hilarious, and always left you wanting more."
Although a specific diagnosis was not specified, Rip noted that Fred had suffered a "long illness" during his last years. However, he always remained open to playing "new projects."
The Life of Fred Smith
Although Smith was known for his time with the rock band Television, he was also part of many other notable projects throughout his career. According to Variety, he was actually a key figure in the group Angel and the Snake, which would eventually become the iconic group, Blondie. He would leave the band to be the bassist for Television shortly before Blondie started to achieve success.
However, he would contribute to solo projects for many of his former band members, including Tom Veralaine and Richard Lloyd. He also did session work for artists like Willie Nile, The Roches, The Revelons, and Peregrins.
In the late 90s, Smith even developed his own winery, Cereghino Smith, along with his wife, Paula Cereghino, which started with making batches of wine in their apartment together.
In his later years, Smith planned to honor Television founder Tom Verlaine by performing his music live. Verlaine passed away from a "brief illness" in 2023, according to The New Yorker.
"We had big plans to play Tom's music live this year..." Rip wrote. "But it just wasn't meant to be. Thankfully, we were able to say goodbye, "love you" were our last words to each other. I will miss him more than anyone can imagine."
Fred Smith is survived by his wife, Paula. They did not have any children.
