Former Saxon drummer Nigel Durham has died at the age of 61, the British heavy metal band confirmed on October 24. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Saxon shared the news on social media, writing:
“We are very sad to hear of the passing of a member of the Saxon family, former drummer Nigel Durham.
“We send our love and thoughts to his wife Lauretta, daughter Gemma, his grandchildren, and family.”
Durham played drums for Saxon from 1987 to 1988, appearing on the band’s 1988 album Destiny. He later performed with Son of a Bitch, a group featuring former Saxon members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson, in 1999. The band subsequently became known as Oliver/Dawson Saxon, with Durham serving as drummer from 2000 to 2010. He also played with Morpheus Rising from 2013 to 2016.
Earlier this year, Durham was the subject of a false death report that circulated online in April. He personally addressed the rumors in a Facebook post on July 14, writing, “Don’t know how this got started but I can assure everyone that I’m still alive & kickin. Lol.”
Saxon’s October 24 announcement comes several months after Durham publicly debunked that earlier report.
RIP.
