Fred Smith, Television bassist, dead at 77

Fred Smith, who played bass in massively influential NYC band Television, died on Thursday at age 77. The sad news was shared by Jimmy Rip who played in Television from 2007-2023. He writes:

The legendary bassist for Television, Tom Verlaine and many others, Fred Smith, was not only my bandmate for 46 years — he was my true friend. He was a great running buddy and exactly the guy you wanted around when road life got wearisome. His sense of humor, much like his musical voice, was dry, subtle, to the point, hilarious and always left you wanting a more.

Yesterday, he left this world, leaving so many who loved him wanting so much more…of him.

We met in 1980 playing, with Jay Dee Daugherty on drums, in The Eve Moon Band, and soon after, the three of us were the NYC version of Holly and The Italians with Holly Beth Vincent. In 1981 when Tom Verlaine was preparing to tour for his disc Dreamtime, which Fred and Jay had performed on, they recommended me as second guitar, leading to very long and rich musical, and personal friendships.

If you are a lover of melodic bass lines and counterpoint, you could go to school on what Fred created so effortlessly. He was a natural — never flashy, always essential — always serving the song in ways that only the greatest musicians can…

He fought his illness long and hard these last few years, looking always forward to new projects… we had big plans to play Tom’s music live this year… but it just wasn’t meant to be. Thankfully, we were able to say goodbye, “love you” were our last words to each other.

I will miss him more than anyone can imagine.

Fred also played in a very early lineup of Blondie, as well as Holly & The Italians, The Fleshtones, The Roches, and more.

Rest in peace, Fred.