Founding Member of Nazareth Manny Charlton Has Died at 80

Founding member of Nazareth Manny Charlton has died at the age of 80. The guitarist was with the Scottish band for over 20 years and also released 14 solo albums. No cause of death has been revealed.

The news of his passing was confirmed when his grandson Jamie Charlton shared a picture of him with Manny Charlton on social media with the caption “RIP Grandad” and the news was confirmed by Nazareth bassist Pete Agnew. The musician sadly passed away just a few weeks before his 81st birthday.

Nazareth posted this statement about the passing of Charlton on their website alongside a photo of the guitarist:

Sadly I have to tell you that Manny Charlton tied on Tuesday (5th July) in texas. There were no details available at the time of writing but I believe his death was sudden and not illness related.

Manny was there from the beginning of Nazareth so we all came up together through the tough times and through the wonderfully successful years as the band became an international acclaimed outfit. His contribution as a musician was immeasurable. Not only was he a team player who loved jamming for hours at a time with the band and then sifting through the tapes for even more hours just looking to find the tiniest unable idea, he was never happier than when he was sitting in the producer’s chair making records and searching for that special ‘racket’ (noise) as he called it, that he as always trying to create.

He produced several other bands and found his ‘racket’ a few times along the way but the one he was most proud of was ‘Love Hurts’, one of the best sounding records of all time and one of the songs on his first album as a producer.

We had our ups and downs over the years but we never once disagreed about the music. I would like to offer condolences on behalf of the Nazareth family to Manny’s own family… our thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Pete

Charlton was born on July 25, 1941 in southern Spain and moved to Scotland when he was 2 years old. The musician was in bands such as Mark 5, the Redhawks, then The Shadettes, which later changed their name to Nazareth. Nazareth was the opening act on tour with Deep Purple in 1971 and then became a headliner by 1973.

Charlton wrote some of Nazareth’s most successful songs such as “Hair Of the Dog” and “Love Hurts,” the latter is the song he was most proud of, according to fellow band member Pete Agnew.

He was the producer for the band and produced Hair Of the Dog and also worked on the Gun n’ Roses album Appetite For Destruction since Axl Rose wanted “the guy who produced Hair of the Dog” to produce their breakthrough album, according to Louder Sound. While Appetite for Destruction was eventually produced by Mike Clink, Charloton’s work with Guns ended up on various compilations and B-sides over the years.

Our thoughts go out to Nazareth and Charlton’s loved ones at this time.

Nazareth Posts Statement About Founding Member Manuel Charlton’s Passing