STEVE PRIEST, bassist and founding member of ‘70s glam band The Sweet, has died at age 72. While a cause of death has not yet been revealed, Priest’s health had been failing for some time. On March 12, a post on The Sweet’s official Facebook page stated that he was in a Los Angeles hospital “receiving the best possible care,” but did not offer any other details.

Priest was born in Hayes, Middlesex, England, on Feb. 23, 1948, and formed The Sweet with lead singer Brian Connolly, drummer Mick Tucker, and guitarist Frank Torpey.

After Scott replaced Torpey in 1970 to solidify the classic lineup, The Sweet went on to become sensations of the glam-rock movement alongside acts like Wizzard, Mud, and Suzi Quatro, scoring 13 top- 20 hits in Britain including “Block Buster,” “Hell Raiser,” and “Teenage Rampage.” In the U.S., they had four top-10 hits: “Little Willy,” “Fox on the Run,” “Love Is Like Oxygen,” and their signature song, “The Ballroom Blitz.”

Priest is survived by his wife of 39 years, music publicist Maureen O’Connor, his daughters and grandchildren.

(SD-Agencies)