Bass guitarist Herbie Flowers, who played with David Bowie, Lou Reed and others, dies at 86

Bass guitarist Herbie Flowers, who played with David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed and other music legends in a decades-long career, has died at 86. The musician’s family confirmed his death on Facebook Saturday. Flowers was a founding member of the pop group Blue Mink, who later joined the rock band T Rex. He won acclaim for his work with many of the biggest names in U.K. music in the 1970s, giving Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side,” from the 1972 “Transformer” album, its recognizable twinned bassline. He also played bass for Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Bryan Ferry’s “The Bride Stripped Bare,” Paul McCartney’s “Give My Regards To Broad Street,” and featured in two of John’s early ’70s albums.