Andy Fraser has died at the age of 62. The Free bassist, who co-wrote the rock anthem "All Right Now," died near his home in Temecula, Calif., on Monday, Mar. 16, New York Daily News reports. A cause of death has not been announced, but the musician is said to have been fighting cancer and living with HIV since the '90s.
"He leaves behind his daughters Hannah and Jasmine Fraser, and their mother Ri, his sister Gail, brothers Gavin and Alex, and many friends and associates in the industry," an official statement said, via Classic Rock magazine.
"A survivor of both cancer and AIDS, Andy was a strong social activist and defender of individual human rights."
The London native began his career at the young age of 15 when he co-founded Free. During the band's 1968 to 1973 run, they released two top 10 UK albums and the fan favorite "All Right Now." Fraser later formed the short-lived band Sharks and Andy Fraser Band. In 2008, he took a more political approach with his music when he wrote the song "Obama (Yes We Can)" to support Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Fraser stepped away from the stage for nearly 20 years before returning with the new album Naked…And Finally Free in 2005. In 2014, he opened up about his impressive career and how his music has changed over the years.
"Always in a blues or a rock band, I tried to introduce the groove kind of dancing without even thinking about it. And if I even think back now to Free, I think, wow, that would make a great reggae song," he told Glide magazine.
"[But now I] feel it's hip now to be myself and have realized every personality is unique and one only needs to be yourself and you are an original," he continued. "So the more honest you are with yourself and express your true feelings, the more unique you are."
