The wife of late Status Quo rocker Rick Parfitt has alleged his death is a result of “medical negligence”.
Rick passed away on Christmas Eve (16) at the age of 68, with his shock death surprising not just his fans, but his family as well.
The rocker’s widow Lyndsay Whitburn has opened up about the tragic events that led to Rick’s death, which was caused by a severe infection he contracted while in a Spanish hospital, after he suffered complications from a shoulder injury.
“It was just unbelievable – and such a futile way to die really,” Lyndsay said on British show Lorraine on Wednesday (05Jul17). “He was a lion, a monster of a man really, survived all sorts of health scares. I think we all felt that he’d always come through.
“Obviously this was just one too many things. I feel at the end he was misdiagnosed. It think there was a bit of medical negligence.”
Father-of-four Rick, who along with bandmate Francis Rossi had enjoyed an alcohol and drug-fuelled existence at the height of his fame, previously overcame a throat cancer scare and three heart attacks.
Talking about the hole left by Rick’s passing, Lyndsay admitted she’s had moments where she’s blamed herself for his death.
“I sometimes beat myself up, I think everybody does when they’ve lost somebody, you say ‘what if I’d done this?’ or ‘we should have done this earlier’ or whatever,” she sighed.
“Then you start to take on the guilt yourself and say ‘why didn’t I take him here and do that?’ To die as a victim of a form of sepsis feels very cruel.”
The guitar legend was remembered at a private service in January (17) at Woking Crematorium. Past and present members of Status Quo, including frontman Rossi and original drummer John Coghlan, paid their respects at the service.
