Clem Cattini, the British drummer who played on more U.K. No. 1 singles than almost anyone in history, has died. He was 89.
Cattini died in London on Nov. 2, 2026, after a fall, Beat Magazine reported. Tributes poured in from fellow musicians, including Donovan and Carl Palmer.
Cattini was born in Stoke Newington, London, in 1937 to Italian parents. He worked in his father's restaurant before he began drumming in the coffee bars of Soho. His first recording ever was Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over," which went to No. 1 in the U.K. in 1960. The famous drum break in the middle was a mistake, he later said, but the producer decided to keep it.
