The son of British rocker and The Who drummer Kenney Jones has died leaving the musician with a “broken heart”.
Kenney – who is the only surviving member of the 1960s hitmakers The Small Faces and replaced Keith Moon as The Who’s drummer in 1978, shared the devastating news on Thursday (November 7).
The tragedy is the latest to hit the musician following the loss of his bandmates Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, and Ian McLagan from The Small Faces, and John Entwistly from The Who, who died in 2002 at the age of 57.
Taking to Facebook to share the devastating news, the 76-year-old shared a snap of him with his late son, writing: “It is with a broken heart that I share the devastating news that my son Jesse has passed.
“I don’t have the words right now to fully express how I am feeling. But I want to thank you all for your kind wishes at this indescribably painful time and ask for continued love, respect and privacy as we try to navigate this profound loss as a family.”
It is currently unknown how Jesse – who is believed to ebe a DJ and father – died. However, tributes have flooded in on social media in memory of the “beautiful soul” and “colourful character”.
One fan wrote: “The world is a little less bright without Jess. He was a beautiful soul and loved by many. Condolences to all family and friends, RIP Jess.”
Another was gobsmacked by the news, writing: “I’m utterly saddened by this Kenney. Jesse was one of life’s colourful characters, th world will be less without him. My thoughts and love remain with you and the family through this dreadful time.”
It is understood Jesse was dur to perform a DJ set in north London on Saturday morning (November 9). Kenney fathered six children from his two marriages.
He owns and runs Hurtwood Park polo club in Surrey where he hosts events at which his all star band THE JONES GANG play. They sometimes include Kenney’s close friend Sir Rod Stewart with whom he was in The Faces.
Kenney’s other famous rock star pals include Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Mike Rutherford of Genesis, and Stewart Copeland of The Police. He joined The Who following the death of the band’s former drummer, Keith Moon in 1978.
In 1991, Jones suffered another heartbreaking loss of The Small Faces guitarist Steve Marriott. The musician died at the age of 44 in his sleep when a fire, caused by a cigarette, demolished his Essex home.
Six years later, tragedy struck the band again when Small Faces’ founder Ronnie Lane died aged 51. The rock legend had been bravely battling against the degenerative disease multiple sclerosis following his diagnosis in 1977.
In June 2002, The Who bass guitarist John entwistle died from a heart condition brought on by taking cocaine during a night of debauchery with a Las Vegas stripper.
The 57-year-old rock icon had binged on the drug a few hours before he was found dead in a suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, an inquest heard.
The court heard how Entwistle – nicknamed ‘The Ox’ – had spent the evening before he died in the bar of a hotel with fellow members of the band Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
The band, who were infamous for their rock and roll lifestyle during their heyday in the 1960s and 70s, were days away from embarking on their US tour when tragedy struck.
It is understood he had retired to bed with a female companion at approximately 3am but when she woke at 10am, she found him “unresponsive and cold to the touch.”
A coroner later ruled that his death was caused by taking a moderate amount of cocaine which exacerbated an undiagnosed heart condition. Kenney’s The Small Faces bandmate Ian McLagan died in December 2014, aged 69, at his home in Austin, Texas.
They keyboardist, who collaborated with the Rolling Stones and who co-wrote Faces’ songs including their hit singles Cindy Incidentally, You’re So Rude, Bad’n’Ruin and Three Button Hand Me Down, suffered a fatal stroke.