R.I.P.: Hilton Valentine, Guitarist, Founding Member Of The Animals

Hilton Valentine  (May 21, 1943 - January 29, 2021)

Guitarist Hilton Valentine, a founding member of the legendary British group The Animals, died Friday morning.

His death was revealed by his wife, according to a statement from the record company Abkco. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Myrecordjournal.com reports the 77-year-old Valentine Valentine was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England. He was a founding member of The Animals, one of the bands that led the British Invasion of rock music in the 1960s.

He created one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock music history with his intro on "The House of the Rising Sun," which hit No. 1 in 1964 in the U.K., U.S. and Canada, and is recognized among Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs of All Time.

Valentine’s other hits with The Animals include “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “It’s My Life” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” which struck a chord with American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Upon their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum described The Animals essential standing as a “key link in the evolving transition from black R&B to punk rock.”

“We at Abkco have been privileged to serve as stewards of The Animals catalog and his passing is felt in a truly profound way by the entire Abkco family,” the record company statement said.