Actor Harry Shearer announced the news on Twitter on Sunday, writing: “Rick Parnell, our drummer on This Is Spinal Tap, died today. No one moved more. “ Additional details, including the cause of death, were not immediately available. Born in London in 1951, the son of jazz drummer Jack Parnell, the band’s longtime leader on The Muppet Show, Parnell played in bands such as Horse, Atomic Rooster, Nova and Stars. He also starred opposite Michael Des Barres in Toni Basil’s 1981 hit Hey Mickey. But Parnell was arguably best known for playing Shrimpton in This Is Spinal Tap, the 1984 cult rock mockumentary. Numerous predecessors of his character had suffered a number of bizarre deaths, including drowning from vomiting and death in a garden accident. Srimpton explodes on stage while playing in Japan at the end of the film. When Spinal Tap went on a real-world tour, Parnell took on the persona of Shrimpton’s twin brother, Ric. The act appeared on Saturday Night Live and in 1992 released an album called Break Like the Wind. Des Barres wrote on Twitter on Monday that “even if he was playing a parody”, Parnell was “a perfect drummer of any kind”. “Some musicians play a role,” said Des Barres. “Others are rock’n’roll. Rick Parnell was the last. The real thing. He got lost and found himself in a rhythm that was both hectic and beautiful. “His heart is still beating.” Parnell recently lived in Missoula, Montana, where he hosted a radio show – Spontaneous Burning – which referred to his death in This Is Spinal Tap. “No one was beating the drums louder than Rick,” wrote Michael McKinn, who played Spinal Tap frontman David St Hubbins on a GoFundMe page to help pay for his death. “It was the real deal. RIP, Legend. “
