William Daniel McCafferty (October 14, 1946 – November 8, 2022) was a Scottish vocalist, best known as the lead singer for the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth from its founding in 1968 to his retirement from touring with the band in 2013.
On August 29, 2013, Nazareth announced McCafferty’s retirement from touring with the band due to health issues. He elaborated on the specifics of the health issues and the state of his situation in an interview with the UK music magazine, Classic Rock. He stated that he had not suffered a stroke as had been reported in the press. He said that his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that has “worsened in recent years” had made him leave the stage in Switzerland in late August 2013 after only three songs, indicating that, “You don’t know when it’s going to come on, but suddenly you can’t breathe.” Commenting about his most recent episode, at the Swiss festival, McCafferty maintained, “if you can’t do the job you shouldn’t be there — Nazareth’s too big for that.” McCafferty also revealed that another health problem was responsible for his onstage collapse at a concert in Canada in July 2013 – a burst stomach ulcer. He stated reflecting back on the incident, “I thought I’d be fine, but you lose so much blood when that happens.” McCafferty also said he expects Nazareth to continue on without him. “I really hope they get someone else,” he declared. “I’m sure they will.”
McCafferty was married and had two children and died at the age of 76.
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