GLENN HUGHES's Father Dies At Age 90

William Hughes, the father of legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION),has died at the age of 90.

Glenn, a native of Cannock, England but now living in Los Angeles, announced his father's passing on Twitter, adding that he was flying back to the United Kingdom with his wife Gabrielle to be close to his mother Sheila.

In a 2011 interview, Glenn — an only child — talked about his parents and what he put them through over the years.

"They went without so I could have my guitars," he told Express & Star. "They bought me my instruments, my amplifiers. From the moment I saw THE BEATLES, they got me my first acoustic. They never, ever said to me 'Get a real job, son.' They have stuck by me. They've seen me at the greatest peaks, to be so famous at such an early age, and they rode that roller coaster with me. But they also rode the roller coaster when it went downwards.

"They picked up a paper once saying that Glenn Hughes had died… and it was the other guy, in THE VILLAGE PEOPLE, called Glenn Hughes. When Ron Quinton, one of our roadies in DEEP PURPLE, was coming to my home from Malibu at one o'clock in the morning in '75, he died on his way to my home but the press got it wrong and said it was me that had died. They'd read it now twice that I was dead.

"My parents are used to it now, but it was difficult for them in '76 to be told their son was a cocaine addict. It was very, very difficult for them, to hear that from my psychiatrist and my doctor. Cocaine was my drug of choice. It's God's way of telling you you're making too much money

"But they stuck by me and in their lifetime they've seen their son kick the habit, the prodigal son, if you will. They have stuck by me. I owe them my life. They brought me into the world. I'm very proud to be their son."

Glenn, 64, and several other former and current members of DEEP PURPLE were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in New York on Friday, April 8.

He described the honor as an "exciting achievement" as his former band was inducted with the likes of N.W.A., CHEAP TRICK and Steve Miller at the induction ceremony, held at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Glenn started off with bands FINDERS KEEPERS and TRAPEZE before finding international fame with DEEP PURPLE in the '70s.

One of the most important collaborations in Hughes's career occurred three decades ago when he began working with BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi on the legendary guitarist's first solo album. The result, 1986's vastly underrated "Seventh Star", was officially credited as "BLACK SABBATH Featuring Tony Iommi" to satisfy the record company's marketing desires.

(Thanks: Deep-Purple.it)