The Rolling Stones and the music world lost another member on Friday as news broke that longtime manager Mick Bridgen has passed away.
According to the Press Democrat, the 73-year-old died due to a tragic accident. While digging up a grave for his pet dog, an accident occurred per his wife, Julia Dreyer Brigden. The manager was then rushed to a local hospital in his home of Santa Rosa, where he was pronounced dead.
The accident and death happened on September 5, with news not coming out until Friday, September 10.
Julia Dreyer Brigden tributed her husband after his untimely death, praising his work and legacy in the music industry.
“He was so organized. That’s why he was so good at his job,” she said. “When you arrived at the hotel, the cars were waiting and the venues were set up.”
It’s hard to say that Mick Brigden’s legacy is just due to his work with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, as he was a major name in the scene for many bands.
The list of names is seemingly endless. Bob Dylan and Joe Satriani are just a couple of the biggest that Brigden worked with. Satriani is considered one of the great guitarists of all time, and the legendary musician didn’t hold back when responding to the news of Brigden’s death.
Foremost, his story of how Brigden connected Satriani to Mick Jagger during a solo tour stands out.
“I was on the East Coast doing a club tour, and Mick Jagger was struggling to find a guitar player,” Satriani recalled. “They’d gone through something like 60 guitarists. After the audition, Mick Brigden said, ‘Hello again. Let’s talk business.’”
It was one of the many moments that brought Satriani to a bigger audience. For that, the guitarist is grateful and only has powerful words to describe the manager after his death.
“Mick Brigden was a force to reckon with. He was just such an original,” Satriani said. “I hesitate to say he was an old school rock ‘n’ roll manager because it doesn’t do him justice. He put an emphasis on doing things right and doing right by people.”