Alan Rankine’s cause of death has not yet been made public. He died at the age of 64 on January 3, 2023.
His sons posted the death announcement on their social media accounts afterward. On Tuesday, 3rd January. Hamish and Callum shared a Facebook tribute to their father.
“It is with great sadness that my brother, Hamish, and I announce the passing of our father, Alan Rankine. He died peacefully at home shortly after spending Christmas with his family. He was a beautiful, kind, loving man who will be sorely missed.”
Alan Rankine’s family and supporters began to express condolences as the news of his passing was confirmed. The BMX Bandits’ creator, Douglas T. Stewart, writes: “Very sad news today that Alan Rankine passed away.”
Alan Rankine is survived by two children who are Callum Rankine and Hamish Rankine.
Tributes
A million Rankine fans were shocked after they learned about his sudden death. They sent their condolences and prayers to his family and gave tributes to him.
Very sad to hear the news that my dear friend Alan Rankine of The Associates has died. We lived around the corner from each other and had planned to meet for a coffee. RIP Alan Rankine, a beautiful soul, and condolences to all his family x
— John Dingwall (@johndingwall) January 3, 2023
RIP #alanrankine .
— Gayle Anderson (@puffedtweet) January 3, 2023
A man who could not only write perfect pop tunes but could also bring the best out of the magnificent maverick talent that was #billymackenzie.
"As a producer, Rankine helped craft a shimmering swathe of 1980s music for artists including Cocteau Twins, Paul Haig and the Pale Fountains."
A poignant reflection on the musicianship of Ian Rankin.
— Rough Trade (@RoughTrade) January 5, 2023
Who was Alan Rankine?
Alan Rankine was born on May 17, 1958. He was a Scottish musician and record producer best known for his work as the keyboardist and guitarist for the rock group the Associates, which he and Dundee singer-songwriter Billy Mackenzie co-founded in the late 1970s.
The Scottish guitarist was raised in Edinburgh after moving from Bridge of Allan where he was born.
The Affectionate Punch and Sulk were driven by a high ambition, fusing synth-pop to levels of baroque orchestration that were almost on par with Scott Walker’s.
These two albums rank among Scotland’s best musical collaborations of all time. The Associates issued two more albums, Perhaps (1985) and Wild and Lonely (1990), without Rankine.
After releasing their final album, The Associates essentially split up, but Rankine and Billy Mackenzie got back together in 1993 to try to record some new material.
He released the first of his three solo studio albums in 1986. Eventually, Rankine became a professor at Glasgow’s Stow College.
Rankine assisted in the establishment of Electric Honey at Stow, a record company designed to instruct students on how to release and market their music.
These albums are arguably two of Scotland’s finest music collaborations ever. After leaving the band, Alan Rankine put out a series of well-received solo CDs and then worked as a lecturer for many years.
