Ed Gagliardi battled cancer for two years.
Edward John ` Ed ' Gagliardi -LRB- February 13 , 1952 -- May 11 , 2014 -RRB- was an American bass guitarist , best known as the original bass player for the 1970s rock band Foreigner .. Foreigner. Foreigner ( Foreigner album ). He was a member of Foreigner from the beginning in 1976 .. Foreigner. Foreigner ( Foreigner album ). Gagliardi , most notably , played a red Rickenbacker bass guitar , left-handed even though he was naturally right-handed .. Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker. bass guitar. bass guitar. It is widely known that he did so out of admiration , and devotion to Paul McCartney -LRB- most often self-doctored from right handed basses , reengineered and played upside down , by Gagliardi himself -RRB- .. Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney. Gagliardi was on the albums Foreigner and Double Vision , but was fired from the band in 1979 .. Foreigner. Foreigner ( Foreigner album ). Double Vision. Double Vision ( Foreigner album ). In 1981 , Gagliardi formed the band Spys with former Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood , a band that set the tone for much of the 80 's synth-rock bands , and received acclaim within the musical community .. Foreigner. Foreigner ( Foreigner album ). Al Greenwood. Al Greenwood. In the early 2000s , Gagliardi worked as a Service Department Writer at Rallye Lexus in Glen Cove , New York .. New York. New York ( state ). Gagliardi died of cancer on May 11 , 2014 , after battling cancer for eight years .. Friends and family held a private ceremony .