Paul McCartney shares touching tribute to Denny Laine after former Wings bandmate dies aged 79: ‘It was a pleasure to know you’

Paul McCartney has shared a touching tribute to his former Wings bandmate Denny Laine after he died aged 79.

The late musician died after a long battle with lung disease, his wife Elizabeth Haines announced on Tuesday.

Paul, 81, wrote a lengthy message on Instagram following the news, saying: 'It was a pleasure to know' Denny.

He shared a photo of them playing together in Wings and wrote, “I am very saddened to hear that my ex-bandmate, Denny Laine, has passed away.

“I have many fond memories of my time with Denny, from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues.”

He continued, “Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and had a lot of fun together. Denny came to work at Wings from the start. He was an excellent singer and guitarist.

'His most famous performance is probably 'Go Now', an old Bessie Banks song that he would sing brilliantly.

'He and I wrote a number of songs together, the most successful of which was 'Mull of Kintyre', a big hit in the 1970s. We had grown apart, but in recent years we managed to rebuild our friendship and share memories of our time together.

'Denny was a great talent with a good sense of humor and was always ready to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great affection by his friends.

I extend my condolences and best wishes to his wife, Elizabeth and family. Peace and love Denny. It was a pleasure knowing you. We will all miss you. Love, Paulus.”

Denny, the singer of rock band The Moody Blues, died on Tuesdayis wife Elizabeth said in a statement: “I stood by his side and held his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him.”

Denny sang on the million-selling single Go Now by The Moody Blues from 1965 and co-wrote the Wings hit Mull of Kintyre.

In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.

The singer-songwriter, real name Brian Hines, was born in Birmingham in October 1944 and grew up in the city.

He started playing guitar after being inspired by the late jazz guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt.

The artist formed the band Denny and the Dilpomats in the 1960s, with the group featuring Wizzard singer Roy Wood.

When they broke up, he created The Moody Blues, playing with the group from 1964 to 1966, finding success with their hit Go Now and a number of R&B-influenced singles such as From The Bottom of My Heart (I Love You) and Day bird.

They released their first studio album The Magnificent Moodies – called Go Now: The Moody Blues #1 in the United States – in 1965.

However, struggling to find further commercial success, Denny left in 1966 before the band reinvented itself as a progressive rock group.

He then formed the Electric String Ban, in which he played vocals and guitar, but they disbanded after failing to achieve national success.

Trevor Burton, who performed with Electric String Band and was also known for his work with the band The Move, formed Balls in February 1969 before splitting in 1971, after both performing with Ginger Baker's Air Force in 1970.

Balls has released only one record, Fight for My Country, on UK Wizard Records. They recorded 12 songs for an album, but it was never released.

In 1971, Denny formed Wings with former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife Linda.

Denny played guitar, bass and sang on songs such as Jet, Band on the Run and Live and Let Die.

He had known Sir Paul since his days with Denny and the Dilpomats in the 1960s and The Moody Blues supported The Beatles on tour during that decade.

He stayed with the group for ten years before they went their separate ways in 1981.

He talked about his time at Wings Billboard earlier this year: 'I was more in the shade, but that didn't bother me.

'I traveled the world and learned a lot and had a good time in many ways. So from that point of view it was easy for me.”

After Wings, Denny started a solo career, after having already released several albums independently in the 1970s.

His 1980 disc Japanese Tears included a song he co-wrote with Sir Paul, Send Me The Heart, and some that were never released by Wings.

He subsequently released other solo albums, including Hometown Girls, Wings On My Feet and Lonely Road, and his last release, The Blue Musician, was released in 2008, although he toured regularly until recently.

In her statement, Denny's wife Elizabeth said she had expected him to recover from his lung disease, but it continued to get worse.

She said: 'He fought every day. He was so strong and brave, he never complained.

“All he wanted was to be home with me and his cat, Charley, who played his gypsy guitar.”

Elizabeth thanked his fans for their support and asked for “the time and privacy” needed for their family “as we mourn our loss.”

Denny and Elizabeth got married in July of this year and announced the news on Facebook at the time. They lived together in Florida.

He was briefly married to the late singer, model and actress Jo Jo Laine. They shared son Laine Hines and daughter Heidi Hines.

The musician had three other children – Lucianne Grant, Damian James and Ainsley Laine-Adams from other relationships.