David Kaff, Actor and Musician Known For ‘This Is Spinal Tap,’ Dies at 79

David Kaff, the British actor and musician known for playing keyboardist Viv Savage in Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap,” died on Friday. He was 79 years old.

No cause of death has been officially confirmed, but his band Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom reported that Kaff had “peacefully passed away in his sleep.”

Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom announced the news on their Facebook account. “Our brother David Kaffinetti passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday. We are devastated by this event. David always had a kind word and a quick wit that would slay you where you stand. Then he’d make you smile doing it! RIP dear brother,” the statement said. 

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Born David Kaffinetti, the musician was a founding member of the English progressive rock band known as Rare Bird from 1969 to 1975. The band released five studio albums between 1969 and 1975, and were one of the first bands to sign with Charisma Records. Their single “Sympathy” reached number 27 in February 1970, selling an estimate of one million copies globally. 

Kaff was cast as Viv Savage in “This Is Spinal Tap,” the keyboardist of the fictional band. The band continued to play after the film’s release, where Kaff appeared as Savage in the band’s “Saturday Night Live” performance in 1984. He was known for his lines including “Quite exciting, this computer magic!” and his life motto “Have a good time…all the time.”

The band continued to play gigs together throughout the first year of release, but by the end of the year, Kaff had left the fictional group and was not involved with any further promotion with “Spinal Tap.”

After his role in the film, Kaff went on to play in bands such as Model Citizenz and Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom.

After the original film was rereleased recently, a sequel directed by Rob Reiner is set to be released Sept. 12., though Kaff does not appear in the sequel.