The London Symphony Orchestra has announced the death of its trumpeter Rod Franks following a car accident in Nottinghamshire. Franks had been attending the Open Golf Championship with a friend who was also involved in the accident but survived. 

Franks was born in Yorkshire in 1956 and studied trumpet with Maurice Murphy. In 1977 he became Principal Trumpet of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra where he remained for seven years. He took up the post of Principal Trumpet of the LSO in 1990, two years after joining the orchestra. Franks remained the LSO's Principal for 25 years and had recently requested to take up the No 3 trumpet chair instead. 

Franks's distinctive tone can, of course, be heard on numerous LSO recordings, but in 2003 he released a recital disc called 'Saving Face' which demonstrated the breadth of his repertoire, from Handel to Thelonius Monk. Jonathan Freeman-Attwood reviewed the disc for Gramophone in October 2003 saying, 'This programme is rather more than a celebration of one of Britain’s leading instrumentalists. It emanates from a selection of recent solo performances from the LSO’s Principal Trumpet, assembled as a result of his extraordinary recovery from a brain tumour and resulting facial palsy. No sooner had he convalesced than Rod Franks was harnessed to his practice chair and back in business within months. Without such an illness, this CD (all donations to Guy’s and the LSO Benevolent Fund) might not exist to exhibit the solo credentials of a great orchestral trumpeter.'

In an official statement, the LSO said, 'This is a very sad day for the LSO and Rod will be missed hugely for his ever-welcoming friendliness and brilliant playing.'