We’ve lost a real one today, butt.

Tetsu Yamauchi, the legendary bassist who held down the low-end thunder for Free and later The Faces, has passed away at the age of 79, his family have confirmed. A soft-spoken soul with a groove that could crack pavement, Tetsu never needed the spotlight… because his basslines did all the talking. Proper job.

The family’s message was simple and heartbreaking:“You will be missed.”And they’re right — the rock world feels a little emptier tonight.

🎸 THE QUIET FORCE BEHIND THE CHAOSTetsu stepped into some massive shoes during both eras, taking over after the departures of Andy Fraser in Free and Ronnie Lane in The Faces. Instead of trying to outshine anyone, he brought something else entirely: a melodic, rolling bass presence that steadied bands famous for their wild spirit. The man was a lighthouse in a hurricane of riffs, whisky, and rock ’n’ roll carnage.

🌏 A GLOBAL ROCK STORYA Japanese bassist becoming the rhythmic heart of two British rock institutions in the 70s? That’s the kind of tale music historians drool over. Tetsu proved that rock isn’t a place — it’s a pulse — and he carried it with elegance.

🎶 THE GROOVES HE LEAVES BEHINDTracks like “Wishing Well” and his live work with The Faces still shake the guts of anyone who cranks them loud enough. His legacy is carved in those warm, wandering basslines and the thousands of musicians who nicked ideas from him without even realising.

🕯 REST EASY, TETSUYou brought groove to chaos. You kept the bands steady when everything else around them was going up in flames. You left the rock world richer than you found it.

Raise a glass tonight, mun.Turn up the bass.Remember a legend who never needed to shout to be heard. 🎸❤️ https://theriffreport.co.uk/08/12/2025/%f0%9f%94%a5%f0%9f%92%94-free-faces-bassist-tetsu-yamauchi-dies-aged-79-a-quiet-giant-of-rock-who-left-colossal-grooves-behind-mun-%f0%9f%92%94%f0%9f%94%a5/