Bassist Andy Fraser, who co-wrote "All Right Now", dead at 62

(Reuters) - Andy Fraser, the bass player who co-wrote and played on the 1970 rock hit "All Right Now" by the band Free, has died in California at the age of 62, a coroner's report said. The coroner's report, saying Fraser died in Temecula on Monday, listed the cause of death as unknown, pending investigation, but Fraser wrote in a biography on his website that he had been diagnosed with cancer and AIDS. Born in London in 1952, Fraser trained first as a classical pianist but switched to rock guitar in his early teens. He briefly played as a bassist at the age of 15 with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. But it was with Free, a trio made up of vocalist Paul Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke and guitarist Paul Kossoff, who were in need of a bass player, that he had his biggest hit. The song reached No. 2 in the British singles charts and No. 4 in the United States. But it has had a second life as "classic rock," with millions of air plays, and as a sports anthem in U.S. stadiums. Free broke up in 1973, but Rodgers, said to be the co-writer of "All Right Now", is often ranked among the top rock vocalists of all time and Kossoff among the guitar greats. Following Free, Fraser formed the band Sharks and later The Andy Fraser Band. (Writing by Michael Roddy; Editing by Larry King)