Television bassist and original Blondie member Fred Smith has died aged 77. Smith passed away on Thursday (February 5) after battling an illness for the last few years. The musician was the original bassist for the band Angel and the Snake, which later went by the name Blondie and the Banzai Babies before settling on Blondie in 1974.

He left the band in 1975 to replace Richard Hell in Television. Smith remained a core part of the American rock group until they split in 1978, performing on hit tracks including Marquee Moon (1977) and Adventure (1978). After the band went their separate ways, Smith featured on the solo albums for his Television bandmates Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. He also worked with artists including The Roches, Willie Nile, Peregrins and The Revelons.

Television reunited in 1992 and released a self-titled third album. The band headed on various tours throughout the 2000s and Marquee Moon was named the fourth-greatest album of all time by NME in 2003.

Paying tribute to his bandmate on Instagram, Television member Jimmy Rip penned: "Television member Jimmy Rip wrote on Instagram: "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 more. Yesterday, he left this world, leaving so many who loved him wanting so much more…of him."

Rip continued: "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…"

Despite battling an illness for years, Smith was always looking ahead and had plans to play his late bandmate Verlaine's music on stage with Rip. 

The 69-year-old added: "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."

Away from his career in music, Smith and his wife Paula Cereghino started making wine in their New York City apartment before formally establishing their artisanal winery, Cereghino Smith, in 2007.