exclusive
Robert Wayne Birch, a bass guitarist who played with Elton John and Billy Joel among many other huge artists, is dead after apparently having shot and killed himself this morning ... TMZ has learned.Law
enforcement sources tell us ... Birch was found around the corner from
his home, dead with a gunshot wound from the head. We're told all signs
point to a self-inflicted wound.
We're told authorities have not found a suicide note and there were no apparent signs of drug use.
Birch
has been playing with Elton John since 1992, and was also involved in
the biggest single of all time, "Candle in the Wind 1997."
Birch
has also performed with legends like Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Eric
Clapton, John Mayer, Cher, Sting, The Backstreet Boys, The Spice Girls,
Clint Black and many others.
