Remembering Bernie Marsden

The University of Buckingham was immensely saddened to hear of the death of Bernie Marsden, the great rock and blues guitarist and honorary graduate.

Bernie, who was 72, was born in Buckingham and performed in several bands as a teenager before turning professional with UFO in 1972. He was a founder member of Whitesnake, one of the biggest rock bands of all time.

He wrote or co-wrote many of the group’s biggest hits including Fool for Your Loving, Walking in the Shadow of the Blues, She’s A Woman, Lovehunter, Trouble, Child of Babylon, Rough and Ready, and the multi-million-selling Here I Go Again.

In 2015, the University of Buckingham awarded him an honorary Master of Arts degree. His daughter Olivia is a journalism graduate of the university.

Always a friend of the university, Bernie, accompanied by a group of marvellous musicians, played a memorable set of soul classics at the 2016 Swan Ball.

The following year, he published his autobiography, Where’s My Guitar: On The Tourbus With The Snakeman, which covered his musical journey and featured previously unseen pictures from his career.

He died peacefully on the evening of Aug 24 with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side.