“You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return”: Former Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies, aged 71

Francis Buchholz, the former Scorpions bassist, has died, aged 71.

A bass guitar stalwart for the Scorpions, spending almost two decades with the German rock institution, Buchholz was there for all the biggest moments in the band's history – headlining Rock in Rio 1985, the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival – and played on its greatest recordings.

From 1974’s Fly to the Rainbow to 1990’s Crazy World, Buchholz’s bass anchored them all. Steamrock Fever, The Sails of Charon, Rock You Like a Hurricane, Winds of Change… The list goes on. Buchholz's credits make for quite the playlist.

In a Facebook statement, Buchholz's family said that he had passed away after an unpublicized battle with cancer, and thanked his legions of fans for their support over the years.

“Our hearts are shattered,” it read. “Throughout his fight with cancer, we stayed by his side, facing every challenge as a family – exactly the way he taught us. To his fans around the world – we want to thank you for your unwavering loyalty, your love, and the belief you placed in him throughout his incredible journey.

“You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return. Though the strings have gone silent, his soul remains in every note he played and in every life he touched.”

Scorpions - Sails Of Charon - Musikladen TV (16.01.1978) - YouTube

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Hannover born and bred, Buchholz was gigging by the time he was a teenager, playing in his high-school band. He would get up at 4.30 am and deliver papers before school with the intention of buying an electric guitar. A Framus Star Bass caught his attention instead – a stroke of fortune.

“I fell in love with that Framus Bass and bought it with the money earned from that newspaper job. The bass came in a grey hard shell case with dark red plush interior,” he told Get Ready To Roll.

“From then on I played bass. And because everybody wanted to play guitar those days there was a lack of bass players. So all of a sudden I was a very sought after musician! Even though I was a beginner with no experience at all, I got offers from many bands.”

Rock was his first love. But his musical tastes took in jazz, blues, soul.

“I did not mind about styles,” he said. “Rock, Top 40 songs, jazz, blues. I learned and played all styles and loved it.”

His resumé – musical and otherwise – speaks to a restless drive. He read mechanical engineering at the University of Hannover and studied at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media.

Even as the Scorpions were riding high on the back of the superlative Taken by Force, Buchholz somehow had the energy to start a business, Rock Sound, renting PAs and lighting gear.

Scorpions - Wind Of Change (Wetten, dass..?, 29.06.1991) - YouTube

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It was during his studies when Buchholz's musical career took shape. He played in Dawn Road, alongside a flamboyant virtuoso guitarist by the name of Uli Jon Roth. The pair would soon be in the Scorpions together.

And after leaving the Scorpions in 1992, Buchholz would tour with Uli Jon Roth and join Dreamtide, recording 2008 album Dream and Deliver with the German hard-rockers.

In 2012, another former Scorpion came calling as he joined Michael Schenker on tour for his Temple of Rock project. With Herman Rarebell on the drums, it reunited the classic rhythm section that gave the Scorpions sound its engine room. Buchholz played on two live albums and two studio albums with Temple of Rock.

Scorpions - Live in Tokyo | Super Rock 1984 - YouTube

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But he will be forever remembered as a Scorpion. For all the HR tumult in Germany’s most-famous rock band, Buchholz went the distance.

It was perhaps fitting then that his last hurrah with the band, Crazy World – which also featured his only Scorpions co-songwriting credit for Kicks After Six – would be their only album to actually go to number one in their homeland, which is remarkable given that Buchholz and the Scorpions were estimated to have sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

He is survived by his wife Hella, and their three children Sebastian, Louisa and Marietta.