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Simon Kirke said it was difficult for him to be the only original Bad Company member in attendance at the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction last week. The legendary drummer, who founded the English supergroup with singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, and bassist Boz Burrell in 1973, accepted the band’s Rock Hall Class of 2025 induction solo on Nov. 8. Burrell died in 2006, and Ralphs passed away in June 2025. Rodgers, who is suffering health issues, pulled out of the event at the last minute. The singer addressed fans during the ceremony via a pre-recorded video message, but Kirke was the only Bad Company star who appeared onstage to perform hits “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Can’t Get Enough” with guest musicians Bryan Adams, Nancy Wilson, and more. After the Rock Hall induction, Kirke, 76, said Rodgers apologized for pulling out of the performance at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles days before the ceremony. “I do wish he had been here, but I totally understand,” he said, per Ultimate Classic Rock. He added that he had “mixed emotions” over the band’s long-awaited honor and explained that the recent loss of Ralphs, who played alongside him on every Bad Company studio album, made the night especially bittersweet. “When death picks a friend, it never really dies, it never really fades away. And I’m just glad that Mick Ralphs got to hear that we were inducted before he passed away,” Kirke said. “He went out with a smile. I miss him. I miss him very much. And it was hard holding it together out there [during the performance].” Rodgers revealed that one of his last phone conversations with Ralphs was about Bad Company’s Rock Hall honor. “I said to him, ‘Do you remember when we were looking for a band name and we called each other with silly names?’ And then I just called him up one day and I said, ’Bad Company’ and he dropped the phone and he said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s it. That’s the name,’” Rodgers told The Associated Press ahead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. “I said, ‘From then, it’s a long way, but it seems like we just blinked our eyes a couple of times and here we are at the Hall of Fame.’ So at least I was able to tell him that,” the Bad Company singer shared.
