Dave Mason, the fiery British guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the iconic rock band Traffic and crafted classic rock staples including “Feelin’ Alright?” and “Hole in My Shoe,” has died at the age of 79. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada, nestled in the scenic Carson Valley.
His death was confirmed by longtime publicist Melissa Dragich, according to the Associated Press. While no official cause of death was provided, Mason had revealed in September 2024 that doctors had detected a serious heart condition during a routine appointment, and he canceled his remaining tour dates. He announced his retirement from touring in the fall of 2025, citing health issues stemming from an infection for “closing the curtain on 60 remarkable years of rock ‘n’ roll.”
According to a post on Mason’s official Instagram page, the rock legend died after “cooking an amazing dinner with his beloved wife Winifred.” The tribute described a serene final moment: “He sat down to take a nap with sweet Star (the Maltese) at his feet.”
From Worcester to Rock Royalty
Born on May 10, 1946, in Worcester, England, Mason was already a working musician by his teenage years. His fateful partnership with drummer Jim Capaldi began in the mid-1960s when both played in the Hellions, and his stint as road manager for the Spencer Davis Group introduced him to a precociously talented young Steve Winwood.
In 1967, Mason, Winwood, Capaldi and flautist and saxophonist Chris Wood formed Traffic, a group that would become one of the most influential bands of the psychedelic era. The quartet retreated to a cottage on the Berkshire to workshop material, helping define the “getting it together in the country” ethos that would echo through rock for decades.
Mason contributed heavily to Traffic’s first two albums, including the 1967 psychedelic classic “Mr. Fantasy.” He wrote “Hole in My Shoe,” which climbed to No. 2 on the British singles charts, as well as “Feelin’ Alright?,” a song that became a monumental hit after being covered by Joe Cocker, Three Dog Night, the Jackson 5, Grand Funk Railroad, and countless others.
His relationship with Traffic was famously tenuous. Mason left and rejoined the band multiple times — fired after the second album, then briefly returning in 1971 — before departing for good that same year. Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, a milestone that cemented the band’s enduring legacy.
A Solo Career and Storied Collaborations
Freed from Traffic, Mason launched a solo career in 1970 with the acclaimed debut “Alone Together,” a record that produced fan favorites including “Only You Know and I Know,” “Sad and Deep as You,” and “Look at You, Look at Me.” Over the following decades, he scored hits with “Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave,” Jim Krueger’s “We Just Disagree,” “So High (Rock Me Baby and Roll Me Away)” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.”
His solo output earned him three albums certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America — “Alone Together,” 1974’s “Dave Mason” and 1978’s “Mariposa de Oro” — and one platinum title, 1977’s “Let It Flow.” But perhaps just as impressive was Mason’s extraordinary résumé as a collaborator and session musician. He contributed to some of the most celebrated records in rock history: the Rolling Stones’ “Beggars Banquet” (playing shehnai on “Street Fighting Man”), Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland” (where he played the 12-string acoustic on the iconic cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”), George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass,” and Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Venus and Mars,” where he played on “Listen to What the Man Said.”
In the 1990s, Mason joined Fleetwood Mac for the band’s 16th studio album, “Time,” and toured with them from 1994 to 1995 following the departures of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. In 2004, he branched into entrepreneurship, co-founding RKS Guitars — a sustainable electric guitar company — with industrial designer Ravi Sawhney.
Tributes Pour In From the Rock World
Mason’s former bandmate Steve Winwood shared a heartfelt tribute on social media. “Dave played an important role in shaping the band’s sound and identity,” Winwood wrote. “His songwriting, musicianship and distinctive spirit helped create music that has lasted far beyond its era, and continues to mean so much to listeners around the world.”
Singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop, who shared a bill with Mason in the early 1970s, remembered his friend fondly on Instagram. “I was always a fan of his early work with Traffic. I especially love his song Only You Know And I Know,” Bishop wrote, noting Mason was “always kind” and “an incredible guitar player.”
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood, a childhood friend of Mason’s from England, also paid tribute to the late guitarist. Fleetwood revealed that the two shared lifelong nicknames inspired by the children’s book “The Wind in the Willows” — Mason was “Toad,” and Fleetwood was “Badger.” “Sweet David Mason left this world, but not without a reminder of heartfelt songs that question the meaning of life, with the understanding of such insight into life’s puzzle,” Fleetwood said.
The Instagram announcement from Mason’s family captured the depth of his cultural imprint: “He leaves a lasting imprint on the soundtrack of our lives and the hearts he has lifted. His legacy will be cherished forever.”
Mason is survived by his wife, Winifred Wilson; daughter Danielle; nephew John Leonard; niece Michelle Leonard; and brothers-in-law Sloan Wilson and Walton Wilson. He was preceded in death by his son, True, and his sister, Valerie Leonard. From the psychedelic revolution of the late 1960s to the arena rock of the 1970s and beyond, Dave Mason’s guitar work and songcraft helped shape the very fabric of classic rock — a presence that, through the music, endures.
