Folk rock singer Joe Egan, who co-founded Stealers Wheel with Gerry Rafferty and co-wrote the band’s biggest hit, is dead at age 77.
The late Rafferty’s official Facebook page announced Sunday that Egan died on July 6. A cause of death and other details were not included.
“Very sad news that the other half of Stealers Wheel, Joe Egan, passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon with his nearest and dearest around him,” Rafferty’s daughter, Martha, wrote. “I will always remember him as a sweet and gentle soul. May he rest in peace.”
Egan was a singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist who formed Stealers Wheel with Rafferty in 1972 after meeting at school in Scotland. “Stuck in the Middle With You,” featuring vocals by both Rafferty and Egan, became an international hit in 1973, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.
“Stuck in the Middle with You” became an enduring piece of pop culture, featured in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” during a memorably violent scene. The song has also been played in movies and TV shows like “ER,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The Simpsons,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “That ‘70s Show” and “The Guilt Trip.”
According to Deadline, Stealers Wheel split up after a third album, 1975′s “Right or Wrong.” Egan released two solo albums and worked as a studio musician. Rafferty, who died in 2011, had a successful solo career with songs like “Baker Street” and “Right Down the Line.”
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