Iggy Pop has led the tributes to the guitarist Ricky Gardiner, who has died at the age of 73.

The Scottish musician’s death was confirmed May 15 by Tony Visconti, who told his Facebook followers that he was informed of Gardiner’s passing by his wife Virginia.

“Another guitar genius and personal friend passed into the next world last night,” Visconti wrote. “Ricky Gardiner, who joined David Bowie for the albums Low and Iggy Pop’s The Idiot, ended a long battle with Parkinson’s. His multi-talented wife Virginia sent me an email this morning.”

Gardiner, who also formed the progressive rock band Beggars Opera in 1969, played guitar on Bowie’s 1977 album Low, which was co-produced by Visconti.

Gardiner first met Iggy while recording Low at the Château d’Hérouville in France, and subsequently became a member of his live band.

The guitarist later worked on Iggy’s Lust For Life album in 1977, co-writing “The Passenger”, “Success” and “Neighbourhood Threat” and playing lead guitar on such tracks as “Lust For Life”.

MESSAGE FROM IGGY:
"Dearest Ricky, lovely, lovely man, shirtless in your coveralls, nicest guy who ever played guitar.
Thanks for the memories and the songs, rest eternal in peace."

— Iggy Pop (@IggyPop) May 16, 2022

Iggy paid tribute to Gardiner in a message that was shared on Twitter this morning (May 16). “Dearest Ricky, lovely, lovely man, shirtless in your coveralls, nicest guy who ever played guitar,” he wrote.

“Thanks for the memories and the songs, rest eternal in peace.”

In addition to his work with Bowie and Iggy, Gardiner worked as a solo artist and released such records as The Flood (1985), Precious Life (1987) and 2015’s Songs For The Electric.

In 1995 Gardiner fell ill and developed electromagnetic hypersensitivity, which restricted the amount of time he could spend with computer devices while recording music.