Nazareth

"I have lost my best friend and the world has lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived," bassist Pete Agnew wrote.

Health woes have forced Nazareth singer Dan McCafferty to retire after more than four decades of fronting the band, but his heart remains in the music -- and with the fans, whom he thanked in a heartfelt letter recently posted at Nazareth's website.

Nazareth may move forward in the wake of Dan McCafferty's retirement, but at least one former member has declined the offer to step into the longtime singer's shoes.

After 45 years of fronting U.K. rock stalwarts Nazareth, singer Dan McCafferty has been forced to retire.

Nazareth singer Dan McCafferty, who went through some scary medical drama earlier this summer when he collapsed on stage, has ended up back in the hospital after being forced to cut another concert short.

Dan McCafferty, frontman for Scottish rockers Nazareth, collapsed onstage in Canada Tuesday night (July 9), according to The Cranbrook Daily Townsman. The band had just started its set when McCafferty collapsed 30 seconds into the first song.

At 45 years and counting -- and a fair bit of the original lineup still intact -- Nazareth is one of the longest-tenured rock bands currently working. And despite rumors to the contrary, they don't seem to have any plans to hang it up anytime soon.