R.I.P.: Tim Bachman, Co-Founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Tim Bachman (right) 1952-2023)

Tim Bachman, a singer and guitarist and co-founder of the Canadian rock ‘n’ roll group Bachman-Turner Overdrive, died Friday, his son said. He was 71.

The musician’s son, Ryder Bachman (also known as Paxton Bachman), announced his father’s death in a Facebook post.  “My Dad passed this afternoon,” the younger Bachman wrote. “Thank you everyone for the kind words. Grateful I got to spend some time with him at the end. Grab yer loved ones and hug em close, ya never know how long you have.”

Tim Bachman, who originally played with BTO in 1973 and 1974, reunited with the group a decade later, died after complications with cancer “throughout his brain,” his son said. He helped co-found the group with his brothers, Randy and Robbie, and Fred Turner.

The band’s original lineup included Randy Bachman on lead vocals and lead guitar, Turner on bass and lead vocals, Tim Bachman on guitar and Robbie Bachman on drums. The group called itself a blue-collar rock band partly named after a trucking industry magazine, according to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

In 1973, Tim Bachman played on the group’s self-titled debut and on “Bachman-Turner Overdrive II,” which yielded the group’s first top-40 hit, “Let It Ride” and “Takin’ Care of Business,” which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He wrote the songs “Down and Out Man,” “Blown” and “I Don’t Have to Hide,” according to ET Canada.

He left the group before the release of 1974′s “Not Fragile” and began a career in production. He was replaced in the band by Blair Thornton, according to People.

Tim Bachman’s brother, Robbie Bachman, died in January at the age of 69.