Karl Wallinger, performing as World Party, in 2006. Photo: Getty Images
Naturally gifted musician Karl Wallinger played a range of instruments on many charting records, compiling an impressively diverse CV which ranged from being musical director for a production of The Rocky Horror Show, to playing on Sinead O’Connor’s stellar debut album, to collaborating with Peter Gabriel. However, the Welsh songwriter and musician’s best-known recordings were made during his brief but influential stint with folk rockers The Water Boys, and his subsequent solo venture World Party, an important band in its own right. A teenage punk who played with musicians who would go on to form The Alarm, Wallinger’s virtuosity meant he could also compose and had a useful sideline in writing and directing film music. A lucrative windfall for Wallinger came in 1999 when Robbie Williams covered and had a hit with his song She’s The One. The regular income came in handy in 2001 when Wallinger suffered a brain aneurysm. His ailment forced him to stop performing for several years, during which time he had to relearn how to speak and play instruments. Wallinger died on March 10 aged 66. — Agencies.
