A bassist who performed with many chart-topping artists has died.

He was 79 years old.

Louder Sound reports that the death of Tetsu Yamauchi — a Fukoka, Japan native who performed with Free and Faces — was announced by his family on Friday via social media.

“To everyone who always supported us,” reads the announcement as published to X . “On December 4, 2025, Tetsu Yamauchi passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has enjoyed Tetsu’s music and given us kind words. ‘It was fun.’ It’s [a] long time, but [a] short time.”

According to ClashMusic.com , Yamauchi was a “groundbreaking Japanese musician” in that he was one of the first from Japan to make great strides into Western rock (although, fun fact, he had

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