   philip parris "phil" lynott (; 20 august 1949 â 4 january 1986) was an irish musician, singer and songwriter. his most commercially successful group was thin lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist. he later also found success as a solo artist. growing up in dublin in the 1960s, lynott fronted several bands as a lead vocalist, most notably skid row alongside gary moore, before learning the bass guitar and forming thin lizzy in 1969. after initial success with "whiskey in the jar", the band found strong commercial success in the mid-1970s with hits such as "the boys are back in town", "jailbreak" and "waiting for an alibi", and became a popular live attraction due to the combination of lynott's vocal and songwriting skills and the use of dual lead guitars. towards the end of the 1970s, lynott also embarked upon a solo career, published two books of poetry,philip lynott, "songs for while i'm away", boxtree, 1997. and after thin lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band grand slam, of which he was the leader until it folded in 1985. he subsequently had major uk success with moore with the song "out in the fields", followed by a minor hit "nineteen", before his death on 4 january 1986. he remains a popular figure in the rock world, and in 2005, a statue was erected in his memory. ==early life== lynott was born in hallam hospital (now sandwell general hospital) in west bromwich (then in staffordshire), england, and christened at [[st 
1949_births 1986_deaths Blues_rock_musicians Burials_at_St._Fintan\'s_Cemetery,_Sutton Drug-related_deaths_in_England Irish_bass_guitarists Irish_male_singers Irish_pop_singers Irish_rock_guitarists Irish_rock_singers Irish_singer-songwriters Mercury_Records_artists Musicians_from_Dublin_(city) People_from_Moss_Side People_from_West_Bromwich Thin_Lizzy_members Warner_Bros._Records_artists