Ian Mitchell, Former Member Of Bay City Rollers Dies

An ex-member of Bay City Rollers, Ian Mitchell, has died aged 62.

A post on Bay City Rollers Facebook page announced his passing.

The post however, did not give cause of death.

It would be recalled that Mitchell replaced original member Alan Longmuir in 1976.

Aged 17 at the time, Mitchell, from Northern Ireland, was the only member of the band not from Edinburgh.

He participated on the album Dedication, which spawned a hit with a cover of Dusty Springfield’s I Only Want To Be With You.

But that was the top for the group, and after just seven months as a member, Mitchell left in 1977.

The statement on Facebook said “We are deeply saddened by the news of Ian Mitchell’s death.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Wendy, their family and friends. Rest In Peace, Ian,” it said.

The Bay City Rollers were established in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1964 by brothers Alan and Derek Longmuir.

In the late ’60s, they decided on a new direction and a name change, and legend has it a dart thrown at a map of the United States landed near Bay City, Michigan

The group became a UK sensation, and broke through in the US for Arista Records, thanks to hits including the US No. 1 Saturday Night and Bye Bye Baby. The tartan-clad Bay City Rollers became a teenage pop delight in the 1970s.

They have reunited in various incarnations in the years since their major US and UK successes.