Francis Buchholz, the former Scorpions bassist who played on all of the band’s classic albums, died on 22 January 2026 at the age of 71.
Buchholz, a native of Hanover, joined the Scorpions in 1973 at the same time as lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth. The two men had previous played together in the band Dawn.
The first Scorpions album to feature Buchholz and Roth was Fly To The Rainbow, released in 1974.
Roth left the band in 1978 following the release of the live double album Tokyo Tapes, but Buchholz remained until 1992 – appearing on landmark albums including In Trance (1975), Lovedrive (1979), Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout (1982) and Love At First Sting (1984).
During his long tenure with the Scorpions, Buchholz gained his only songwriting credit for the track Kicks After Six from his final album with the band, 1990’s Crazy World. That album featured the Scorpions’ biggest hit, the power ballad Wind Of Change.
Later in his career, Buchholz reconnected with Uli Jon Roth and another ex-Scorpions guitarist, Michael Schenker. He contributed to two albums by Schenker’s group Temple of Rock, 2013’s Bridge The Gap and 2015’s Spirit On A Mission.
In 1991, while still a member of the Scorpions, Buchholz reflected on his career in an interview with Riff Raff magazine.
He referred to the then current album Crazy World: “I think for me, normally the last album is my favourite because it's the freshest. The last album we recorded in a very short time. It has more emotional things on it.”
He then named a couple of personal favourites.
“Listening to other albums, I very much like Lovedrive,” he said. “And Love at First Sting is a very good album, it's one of my favourite albums.
“When I'm at home, after a tour, I have one of those days where you think back over what you have done and you drink a bottle of red wine and get out all the old albums and sit there and listen to them until four o’clock in the morning and relive all those situations.”
In the wake of his death, his family stated: “To his fans around the world – we want to thank you for your unwavering loyalty, your love, and the belief you placed in him throughout his incredible journey. You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return. Though the strings have gone silent, his soul remains in every note he played and in every life he touched.”
