07 June 2023 , 05:56
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Rock star, Martin Duffy, died in a drunken fall after he became "distraught and upset" when he was suspended from his band Primal Scream, an inquest heard.
Duffy, 55, a band member for more than 30 years, had been told to take time out and get help for his alcohol dependency.
Distraught and upset, he began drinking heavily, regularly consuming large amounts of alcohol each day, his inquest heard.
On December 15 last year after drinking around two bottles of wine he tripped over, fell backwards and suffered a catastrophic head injuries.
He was discovered lying on the kitchen floor of his flat in Hove, East Sussex by his son, Louie, who had gone round to see him.
Although Duffy was conscious, he had suffered multiple skull fractures and was losing blood.
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After initially declining an ambulance his son called 999 at 04.18am and asked for paramedics to be sent.
Primal Scream's keyboardist Martin Duffy died in December (Redferns)When it failed to arrive he called again at 04.48 but due to the high volume of calls an ambulance did not arrive until 7.00am.
He was rushed to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where he was treated before being transferred to Intensive Care.
However his brain injuries were "unsurvivable" and on December 18 he was declared brain stem dead and life support turned off.
An inquest in Brighton on Tuesday heard that as well as being alcohol dependent, the musician had been suffering from and been treated for prostate cancer.
He was also wrestling with financial problems brought about by the Covid lockdown which had left him unable to tour with the band.
In a statement his son, Louie, said his dad was a respected member of Primal Scream for more than 30 years.
He said: "This might lead people to believe that he was a wealthy man but this is not the case at all. My dad died in debt and I know how badly this affected him in the last year of his life.
"Anyone who knew my dad knew he was a drinker. In the band's heyday in the early 90s, Primal Scream were as famous for their excess as they were for their music.
"Dad was a functioning alcoholic who had a professional attitude to his work. He was a 'binge drinker' when he would drink for two or three days in a row and then stop. He would also have long periods of sobriety.
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"It was during lockdown when things started going wrong for dad. No gigs meant no income and he got into debt. He was also diagnosed with prostate cancer."
Louie said his father had also become very upset in April last year when he read the group had sold the band's back catalogue to BMG and he had received nothing despite being in the band for decades.
The inquest heard the band continued touring after lockdown ended and Duffy played with them at Glastonbury in 2022 and a week later travelled with the band to play in Glasgow.
But, the hearing was told, he drank too much and "messed up" on stage and the following morning was told to "was told to leave the tour and get help."
"After being forced off the tour, I literally saw dad age 10 years in a matter of weeks."
Financial worries left him fearing he may lose his home and he registered with alcohol addiction service, Change, Grow, Live in a bid to sober up.
The inquest heard that when the band asked him how his treatment was going he told them he had cut down on his alcohol intake a lot but was still drinking occasionally.
In his statement, Louie, said: "The band told him he would not be getting his job back unless he stopped drinking.
"He became very upset. He seemed completely devastated. After this he started drinking really heavily every day. I couldn't stop him. It was frightening. I had never seen him like this before. He stopped contacting people and I was really worried about him."
He went round to check on his father and found him lying on the kitchen floor near a set of steps.
He said: "It is clear from where he was lying that he had tripped on the steps and fallen backwards, hitting his head. He was conscious and knew I was there to help him."
However his father had repeatedly said: "No ambulance, no ambulance" so it wasn't until 04.18am that his son called 999.
The inquest heard that despite the delay the injuries Duffy had suffered were so "catastrophic" he would have died even if he had been treated immediately.
Dr Karen Henderson, assistant coroner for Brighton and Hove, recorded a conclusion of accidental death through alcohol intoxication.
"I am satisfied he was a gifted musician and, for almost all his adult life, he was princely associated with the band Primal Scream. He was a devoted father, partner and friend to many.
"He had a number of personal difficulties. In 2021 he underwent successful for prostate cancer, he had financial pressures from the lockdown and was distressed that he was not able to play gigs with Primal Scream, but he had a problematic relationship with alcohol.
"Advised by some members of the band to take some time off and seek help fr his alcohol dependency, he did not sustain contact with Change, Grow, Live.
"In the weeks prior to his death in light of his ongoing difficulties that were both personal, financial and work-related, his alcohol dependency spiralled out of control to the detriment of his mental and physical well being."
His sudden death caused an outpouring of grief among fellow musicians, fans and friends.
In his tribute posted at the time on Primal Scream's Instagram account, singer, Bobby Gillespie wrote: "Hard to write this. We never know how to speak around death other than polite platitudes. We in Primal Scream are all so sad."
He added: "He had a swift eye for the absurd, the surreal and the ridiculous. He lived to laugh and play music. He was loved by all of us in the Scream. A beautiful soul. We will miss him."
The talented musician played a key role with both bands, featuring on Primal Scream's first two albums.
Duffy played on almost all the Primal Scream's albums - including the seminal Screamadelica album in 1991.
In 1996 he stepped in to play keyboards for The Charlatans following the death of original keyboard player Rob Collins.
The Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess praised his "beautiful soul" and credited the musician for his part in the band's success.
He wrote: "Another tragic loss of a beautiful soul. Martin Duffy stepped in to save The Charlatans when we lost Rob - he played with us at Knebworth and was a true friend.
After the inquest his son Louie said condemned fellow band members saying his father had been an integral member of the group who had been "demoted" to the rank of a session musician.
"The band's belief in the 'tough love' they thought they were qualified to dish out to dad when he was at his most vulnerable only made things worse. I understand they thought they were helping him but this method backfired, it made dad become completely overwhelmed," he said.
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email [email protected], message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.