David Kaff — best known for his role as keyboardist Viv Savage in the iconic film, “This is Spinal Tap,” has died.
Kaff’s band, “Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom,” posted an announcement on Facebook, saying he died peacefully in his sleep, but no cause of death was given.
The hard rock group said they were devastated by Kaff’s death, explaining that he was kind, quick-witted and would always make people smile.
Kaff (real name David Kaffinetti) launched his music career as a pioneering member of the British rock band, “Rare Bird,” from 1969 to 1975. During this time, the group released five studio albums and their single, “Sympathy, rocketed up the charts and sold an estimated one million copies worldwide.
Then Kaff got his big break in the 1984 Rob Reiner directed mockumentary, “This Is Spinal Tap,” when he was cast as Viv Savage, who played the keyboard in the fake English rock band.
His character had some memorable lines in the movie, such as “Quite exciting, this computer magic!” and “Have a good time…all the time.”
Even though “Spinal Tap” was a fictional band, Kaff and the other actors played some live shows through the first year of the movie’s release, even performing on “Saturday Night Live.” But then Kaff left the band by year’s end and never looked back, cutting all ties.
Kaff was 79.
RIP
