David Kaff, the British actor and musician known for playing keyboardist Viv Savage in Rob Reiner’s 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, has died aged 79.
His bandmates in Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom confirmed the news on their Facebook page, writing that the musician had “passed away peacefully in his sleep” on Friday.
“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!” they wrote. “RIP dear brother.”
Born David Kaffinetti in Folkestone, Kaff studied classical piano as a child before falling in love with rock’n’roll in his teens. In his early 20s, he co-founded prog rock group Rare Bird, perhaps best known for their 1969 track Sympathy.
However, he found greater fame playing the keys in This Is Spinal Tap’s fictional heavy metal band, alongside the movie’s co-writers Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. His memorable lines in the film include Viv’s life philosophy: “Have a good time … all the time.”
Kaff performed as part of Spinal Tap at various gigs after the film’s release, including their appearance on Saturday Night Live, but by the end of 1984, he had left the group.
He played in various other bands in the subsequent decades, including Oakland’s Model Citizens and San Francisco’s Mutual of Alameda’s Wild Kingdom – but Kaff remained fond of Spinal Tap and appreciative of fans’ love for his character in the movie.
“I played him [Viv] very close to my heart, just a little bit dimmer,” he told BAM in 1991. “If people like that character, chances are they’ll like me.”
A sequel to Spinal Tap, directed by Reiner and co-written by and starring McKean, Shearer and Guest, is due for release in September, but Kaff was not involved in the movie.