Platinum Blonde bassist Kenny MacLean dies

Kenny MacLean of the 1980s band Platinum Blonde has died in Toronto.

The 52-year-old bassist was found in his apartment-recording studio. Police said the veteran musician was discovered collapsed and unresponsive Monday in his apartment. 

MacLean had just released his third solo album, Completely, last Friday at a club in the city.

"This is devastating," Mark Holmes, former lead singer of Platinum Blonde, told the Toronto Star.

Holmes performed with his old friend Friday night at the Mod Club.

"He was incredibly happy — everything was going well for him."

He had recently convinced his Platinum Blonde bandmates to get back together for a reunion gig, said drummer Chris Steffler.

"We were [going] to put together a Platinum Blonde show for the first time in over 20 years and the rehearsal was set for 5 p.m. Monday," Steffler said. "We're all just kind of shocked."

'Very sad news'

Record producer Terry Brown, who has worked on several classic Rush albums as well as other bands such as Blue Rodeo, said MacLean's death was "very sad news.  

"He was an incredibly talented fellow who had so much enthusiasm and such great ideas, he was a pop-meister, he just wrote great pop tunes," said Brown, who worked with MacLean on his solo album, Clear.

"And he was just one of those people that always had lots of melodies and great ideas in his head ..."

'He was incredibly happy — everything was going well for him.' — Mark Holmes, former Platinum Blonde singer

According to the Star, MacLean's sister Pamela had been unable to contact the musician and decided to get the landlord to let her into his studio and living quarters on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto.

Pamela found her brother collapsed in the bathroom with the tap running and a toothbrush in one of his hands, Holmes said. MacLean had another home in the city, but likely stayed at the studio after the Friday night party.

The cause of death is not yet known, but police say they are not treating MacLean's death as suspicious.

Platinum Blonde, a New Wave band that sported big hair and synthesized sounds, hit it big with singles such as Standing in the Dark and It Doesn't Really Matter.

The Scottish musician joined Platinum Blonde for their second album, 1985's Alien Shores, which contained one of the band's biggest Canadian hits: Crying Over You, which won a Gemini Award for best music video. The album also spawned their only U.S. hit, Somebody Somewhere.  Alien Shores went quadruple platinum.

Guitarist Sergio Galli and drummer Chris Stefller were also band members.

The band broke up in 1991.