Kate Bush’s guitarist Ian Bairnson dies aged 69 following a ‘challenging’ battle with dementia 

Guitarist Ian Bairnson has sadly died at aged 69, following a battle with dementia.

The musician was known for performing on Kate Bush‘s 1978 hit Wuthering Heights and being one of the core members of rock band The Alan Parsons Project. 

In a post shared by his wife, Leila, on Saturday, she confirmed that Ian had passed away on Friday, April 7.

Describing his battle with the syndrome as ‘long’ and ‘challenging’, she dubbed her late husband the ‘sweetest’ and ‘kindest’.

Sharing a picture with Ian to Instagram, Leila wrote: ‘It is with deep sadness and regret that I let you know that my loving husband Ian Bairnson has passed away on Friday 7th April.’

Kate Bush’s guitarist Ian Bairnson dies aged 69 following a ‘challenging’ battle with dementia

‘Ian was the sweetest, kindest, loving husband I could ever have wished for and I take comfort that he is resting now up there in his very own piece of “Blue Blue Sky”.

‘Although Ian has left us, his musical legacy stays with us and will continue to delight and brighten our lives, as it did his, forever.’

Continuing to thank medical professionals for their help, she added: ‘I would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Frimley Park Hospital, the managers and carers at Lynwood Care Home and our families and close friends for the love and support they have provided us during these challenging years of Ian’s long battle with dementia. ❤️’.

Hailing from Lerwick, a town in Scotland’s Shetland Islands, the musician was a member of The Alan Parsons Project between 1975 and 1990.

Created by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, they were joined by guitarist Ian, arranger Andrew Powell, bassist/vocalist David Paton, drummer Stuart Elliott and vocalists Zenny Zakatek and Chris Rainbow.

Also boasting a very famous solo in Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights, Ian made his own his mark on the music industry.

But despite the song’s popularity, he wasn’t actually a fan of the famed solo – admitting in years to come that his distaste for it was purely ‘guitarist reasons’.

While the song’s engineer Jon Kelly later admitted that he wished he had made the guitar solo louder in the song’s final mix. 

In his personal life, Ian was married to wife Leila for what would have been 24 years this May, embarking on a relationship two years prior to their wedding.