Rob Wasserman – Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison bassist – dies aged 64

Rob Wasserman – who played bass with Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Bob Weir and many others – has died aged 64.

The news was broken by Weir, a long-serving musical collaborator.

One of the world's most beautiful friends and artists has left us. May Rob's warmth and music live in your hearts as it always has in mine.

— Bob Weir (@BobWeir) June 29, 2016

A classically trained violinist, Wasserman moved to the upright bass when he was 20 and released his first jazz album, Solo, in 1983. He released four more solo albums.

Wasserman recorded with Van Morrison (Beautiful Vision), Lou Reed (New York, Magic And Loss, Lulu), Elvis Costello (Mighty Like A Rose), Rickie Lee Jones (Flying Cowboys, Naked Songs) among many others.

His last album, the six-CD set Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound, recorded with Jerry Garcia Band and Weir, was released in December 2013.

Wasserman and Weir created RatDog in the mid-’90s following the Grateful Dead’s break up in 1995.

The August 2016 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – featuring our cover story on Neil Young, plus the Small Faces, Jeff Beck, Arthur Lee and Love, Jimmy Webb, Ultravox!, Radiohead, Steve Gunn, Mick Harvey, Fleetwood Mac, Ramones, William Burroughs, Bat For Lashes, Bruce Springsteen and more plus 40 pages of reviews and our free 15-track CD

Uncut: the spiritual home of great rock music.