Simple Minds drummer Kenny Hyslop dies aged 73

Simple Minds drummer Kenny Hyslop has died aged 73 after struggling with poor health, sources confirmed on Tuesday. 

The percussionist, a member of the Scottish band from 1981, had been ill for some time prior to his passing. A cause of death is yet to be confirmed. 

Born in Helensburgh on the Firth of Clyde in 1951, Hyslop worked in the music industry for much of his life after starting out as a drummer in the early 1970s.  

Paying tribute on Tuesday afternoon, former Ultravox star Ure, who performed with Hyslop in glam rock group Slik, sent his best wishes to the musician’s surviving family. 

‘Just about to board the British Airways flight from JFK and heard my old friend/Slik/Simple Minds drummer Kenny Hyslop has passed way,’ he told followers on X, formerly Twitter. 

‘He lived a lively life! Huge condolences to his friends and family. He was much loved.’ 

Hyslop began his career in 1972 after replacing Matt Cairns as the drummer of glam-rock band Salvation. 

Two-years later they were renamed Slik following a line-up change that resulted in Ure becoming lead vocalist, and success would soon follow when they scored a UK number one single with Forever And Ever in 1975. 

It would prove to be their biggest hit, with the group disbanding after another name change – PVC2 – and a short-lived foray into punk. 

Ure would ultimately leave for Ultravox, with whom he enjoyed global success in the 1980s, while Hyslop would play with new wave bands Zones and The Skids prior to joining Simple Minds.

Replacing original drummer Brian McGee in 1981, Hyslop stayed with the band for a year before departing to form short-lived electronic group Set The Tone. 

His work features on hit Simple Minds song Promised You A Miracle and he appeared in the promotional videos for Sweat in Bullet and Love Song, but did not contribute to either song’s production.