Former Saxon drummer Nigel Durham dies at 61, band sends ‘love and thoughts’ to his family

Nigel Durham, former drummer for British heavy metal band Saxon, has died at the age of 61. The band announced his death on October 24, sharing a message of sympathy for his family. The cause of his death has not been made public.Nigel Durham dies at 61. (X/ @SaxonOfficial)Saxon wrote in an Instagram post, “We are very sad to hear of the passing of a member of the Saxon family, former drummer Nigel Durham. We send our love and thoughts to his wife Lauretta, daughter Gemma, his grandchildren, and family.”According to Next Mosh, Durham played drums for Saxon from 1987 to 1988. He played on the band’s 1988 album “Destiny.” He replaced Nigel Glockler for that album.Also read: He stopped the gunman, but the grief remains: Oregon father Kaylub Giamanco recounts confronting school shooterAs per Next Mosh, Durham played in 1999 with Son of a Bitch, a group with former Saxon members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson. The band later became known as Oliver/Dawson Saxon. Durham was its drummer from 2000 to 2010. According to the report, he also played with Morpheus Rising from 2013 to 2016.Also read: Obama-Trump war of words intensifies as both trade personal jabsTributes from Saxon’s Glockler and othersSaxon member Nigel Glockler also posted about Durham’s death on Facebook. He wrote: “RIP my friend, Nigel Durham - I will see you on the other side.” He added: “Love and strength to Lauretta, his daughter and family.”News of his death spread quickly on social media on Saturday. Rockem Music Drum & Guitar Centre wrote: “Sad news. Another great musician passes. Nigel Durham Ex Saxon Drummer, Oliver Dawson drummer. Great player and good friend of the shop. Will miss our chats.”Matt Black wrote: “Very sad to hear that Nigel Durham has passed away. We were bandmates years ago in my little solo project Matt Black Band. But many will know of Nige from his time drumming for Saxon and ODS. An absolute gent, lovely person and a real powerhouse of a drummer. You will be sadly missed.”Neil Benton wrote, as per Penn Live “Saddened to hear the news an old school friend has passed. RIP Nigel Durham top drummer and top guy.”According to Next Mosh, a false report about Durham’s death went around online in April. He spoke about it in a Facebook post on July 14. He wrote: “Don’t know how this got started but I can assure everyone that I’m still alive & kickin. Lol.”