Ric Parnell, Spinal Tap Drummer, Dead at 70

By Allison Schonter

Ric Parnell, the British rocker who played Spinal Tap drummer Mick Shrimpton in the 1984 heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and later toured with the band, has died. Actor Harry Shearer, who starred in the film with Parnell, announced Parnell's passing on Sunday, writing, "Ric Parnell, our drummer in This Is Spinal Tap, passed away today. No one ever rocked harder." Parnell was 70. Parnell's cause of death was not revealed.

Parnell's passing was also confirmed by Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek, who announced in a Sunday Facebook post, "Ric Parnell died early this morning." He continued, "From day one, meeting him, I found him to be engaging, warm, and delightfully funny. We hit it off as pals immediately. He had a cheerful spirit that made you feel good, just being around him." Reflecting on their work together, Tek said he "had the great good fortune to work with Ric on three albums," adding that "studio time was casual, fun, and scattered with stories and humor. Ric never actually prepared for a session, but would come up with the beat and the arrangement on the spot." Tek concluded the post by writing, "Ric was one of a kind. He lives on in his music, and in our hearts."

Born in London in 1951, Parnell was the son of English jazz drummer and musical director Jack Parnell, who was the bandleader on The Muppet Show. Parnell, just like his two brothers, acquired the taste for music, playing the drums and eventually making a career in music, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He played in bands including Horse, Atomic Rooster, Nova and Stars. He also played with Michael Des Barres and on the 1981 hit "Hey Mickey" by Toni Basil. Des Barres paid tribute to Parnell on Twitter, remembering him as "a flawless drummer in any genre" and "the real thing. Lost and found in a rhythm that was both jarring and beautiful. His heart still beats."

Alongside his music career, Parnell was well-known for his portrayal of Shrimpton, the drummer in a fictional rock band Spinal Tap, in This Is Spinal Tap in 1984. The fictional group also included actor-musicians Michael McKean as singer David St. Hubbins, Christopher Guest as lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, and Shearer keyboard player as Derek Smalls. The fictional group later became reality when Spinal Tap went on a real-world tour, going on to appear on Saturday Night Live and releasing an album named Break Like the Wind in 1992.

More recently, Parnell lived in Missoula, Montanna, where he co-hosted a weekly radio show, Spontaneous Combustion. Amid his passing, a GoFundMe page has been created "to cover his end-of-life expenses, including rent, cremation, storage space, and memorial services." The page has raised nearly $10,000.

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