David Bowie's former bassist Trevor Bolder dead at 62

LONDON, May 22 (UPI) -- British musician Trevor Bolder, who played bass in David Bowie's 1970s backing band Spiders From Mars, has died of cancer, his representatives said.

He was 62 when he died Tuesday.

Bowie described Bolder -- in a statement to the BBC -- as "a wonderful musician" and "a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with."

Bolder was a member of the rock band Uriah Heep from 1976 until a few months ago when his illness progressed, the BBC noted.

"Trevor was an all-time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced," Uriah Heep said in a statement.