Dan McCafferty, popularly known for being one of the founding members of the hit rock band Nazareth, has passed away at the age of 76.
The Scottish group's bassist, Pete Agnew, confirmed the tragic news on social media, saying his post was the "saddest announcement" he had ever made.
"Maryann and the family have lost a wonderful loving husband and father, I have lost my best friend and the world has lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived. Too upset to say anything more at this time," he wrote.
The former frontman reportedly died on November 8 at 12:40. Although he suffered from health issues years ago, it was not confirmed by his bandmates whether he died from a medical condition or not.
According to NME, McCafferty had been one of the solid members since their band got established in 1968. However, in 2013, the group announced he would be retiring from touring due to his health problems, but he was still able to appear on their album, "Rock 'n' Roll Telephone," the following year.
He was part of all of the band's projects and tours for over 45 years.
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Dan McCafferty's Health Condition
According to an article published by ABC News Radio in 2013, the band announced McCafferty's retirement, saying he would stop performing in shows due to his tragic health condition.
The singer reportedly suffered from C.O.P.D. or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Per CDC, the condition is a group of diseases that leads to the blockage of airflow in a patient.
Nazareth's announcement at the time comes after the vocalist attempted to play at a festival in Switzerland where he "found it impossible to continue after performing only three songs."
McCafferty also told his bandmates backstage that "he couldn't go on any longer."
At the time, there were reports of him being hospitalized in the country, but he debunked the rumors in an interview with Classic Rock, saying it's "untrue."
He further discussed his health condition, saying he had been fighting it years before his retirement and it was getting worst. There were moments when he didn't know when the condition would trigger him as it suddenly makes him hard to breathe.
Before his Switzerland performance, the vocalist also had another health issue the month prior, saying he had a burst stomach ulcer which led him to collapse.
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