The Boys Legend Dies After ‘Long Illness’: Honest John Plain Was 73

The Boys fans are mourning a legend.

Honest John Plain, the guitarist/vocalist for The Boys, died on Friday, according to an official statement shared to Facebook on Saturday. The band did not provide an exact cause of death, only that the musician, whose real name is John Splain, died after suffering a “long illness.”

“Honest John Plain passed away yesterday after a long illness and we are all devastated,” the statement read. “John was an outstanding musician, songwriter and singer. John’s world-class rhythm guitar was the backbone of The Boys sound. He will be greatly missed by all.

“Our thoughts and prayers at this sad time are with John’s son Joe, along with all his family, friends and his many fans.”

Honest John Plain was 73 at the time of his passing. The band did not provide the place of death or memorial details in the death announcement.

The rockstar appeared on all five of The Boys’ studio albums: 1977’s The Boys, 1978’s Alternative Chartbusters, 1979’s To Hell with the Boys, 1981’s Boys Only and 2014’s Punk Rock Menopause. He also released solo material, including albums with backing bands The Amigos and The Landslide Ladies.

Fans took to the Facebook comment section to mourn the late guitarist.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” one fan wrote. “Saw the Boys together with the Vibrators at the Marquee club in the summer 1977. I was 15 and had a couple of days in London after being on a language course at Isle of White. The concert was amazing and a memory for life.”

A second fan wrote, “Such sad news. I knew John had been ill for a while but doesn’t make it any less painful to hear. RIP John – thank you for all of the great music. Deepest condolences to his friends and family.”

Another fan of The Boys commented, “RIP Honest John plain … such a loss to the rock n roll world.”