After coming to fame in the '60s as a member of the bands the Herd and Humble Pie, Peter Frampton kicked off a solo career in the '70s that solidified his place in rock music history. Known for songs including "Baby, I Love Your Way" and "Show Me the Way," Frampton has released 18 solo albums and has remained active as a touring musician, despite believing that he'd have to leave the road behind.
Being diagnosed with a rare muscle disorder led the musician to announce his retirement from touring in 2019. Despite this, he's still performing live today. He's also put out new music and released a memoir in recent years. Read on for a look at Frampton's life today at age 73.
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Frampton's career has had its highs and lows.
Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesFrampton became a hugely successful solo artist after leaving Humble Pie in 1971. His 1976 album, Frampton Comes Alive, set a record for album sales and went eight-times platinum.
"It was a great sense of satisfaction, obviously," Frampton toldBillboard in 2016. "But that’s where I got very nervous. No. 1 is a little scary, because there’s only one place to go from No. 1."
His career went through some peaks and valleys from there. "I knew I would make it back," Frampton told The Guardian in 2020 of being at a low point in his music career. “It just took a lot longer than I thought."
The problems Frampton faced included having a manager who he claimed was ripping him off and who led him to bankruptcy. "I had less than nothing," he told The Guardian. "I owed hundreds of thousands of dollars."
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He knows he made a mistake agreeing to a certain rock movie.
Another low for Frampton was the 1978 musical movie Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is based on songs by the Beatles but does not actually feature the band. Instead, it stars Frampton, the Bee Gees, Aerosmith, and other musicians.
"It was a disaster from the beginning,” Frampton told Yahoo! in 2020. “Once I arrived on the set that first day, I guess I could have walked off, but it would have probably cost millions, and I’d have got sued and everything. So, I just went along with it at that point.”
He also said that he was told Paul McCartney was going to be in the movie, which wasn't true. "For me [the real disaster] was finding out that Paul McCartney was not in the movie—which was the only reason I was doing the movie," he explained.
However, Frampton has come to peace with it.
"I think that the difficulties and battles we all have in life, the ups and downs, it all goes into making you a more experienced and, hopefully, wiser person," he told Yahoo!. "Is [Sgt. Pepper] a regret? Yes, it is a regret that I did it, and I’m sure [The Bee Gees'] Barry Gibb would say the same thing. But, I did it. It’s part of me, and it’s made me who I am."
He's been incredibly prolific.
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesFrampton certainly made it through the parts of his career where he was not as popular, as well as the criticism he faced for some of his less successful efforts. He's put out a vast collection of music since hitting the scene. His latest album, Frampton Forgets the Words, was released in 2021. He also wrote a memoir, Do You Feel Like I Do?, in 2020.
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He officially retired—then changed his mind.
Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for The Music CenterFrampton announced that he was retiring from touring in 2019 after learning that he has inclusion body myositis. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, inclusion body myositis "is a rare condition that causes muscle weakness and damage." Symptoms "usually include progressive weakness in muscles of the hand, forearm, thigh and lower leg."
But, after completing his Peter Frampton Finale Tour, he decided that he wasn't finished with live performances after all. His new tour, the "Never Say Never Tour," runs from June to September 2023.
"At the end of every Finale Tour show I did say, ‘Never say never,’ and I am always full of hope for the impossible,” Frampton said in a press release (via American Songwriter). "I’m very pleased to let you know that I am feeling strong and my fingers are still roaming the fretboard. Every note I play now has more meaning and soul. I love playing live and this fighter wants to stay in the ring for as long as he can. I’m so happy to be able to see you all one more time this summer. Much love, Peter."
In July 2023, the Myositis Association announced that Frampton would be the recipient of this year's Patient Ambassador Award for raising awareness of the disease.
He's a father of three.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesAs for Frampton's personal life, he is a father of three children and has been married three times. He was married to Mary Lovett from 1972 to 1976. Then, he was married to Barbara Gold from 1983 to 1993. Frampton and Gold welcomed two children, Jade and Julian Frampton. Frampton married his third wife, Tina Elfers, in 1996, and they split in 2011. Frampton and Elfers have one child together, Mia Frampton.
