Music in mourning/ The world-famous singer, co-founder of the group...

Denny Laine, singer-guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the Moody Blues and Wings, has died aged 79.

Laine's wife, Elizabeth Hines, wrote in a post on Laine's official Instagram account that the musician died Tuesday after a long battle with interstitial lung disease and after being "in the ICU on a ventilator for the past week."

"My beloved husband passed away peacefully early this morning ," Hines wrote. "He fought every day. He was so strong and brave, he never complained ."

Paul McCartney, who formed Wings with Laine after the Beatles split, expressed his grief on Tuesday and called his friend a "huge talent".

"I am very saddened to hear that my former bandmate, Denny Laine, has passed away," McCartney wrote in an Instagram post. “I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues. Our two groups had a lot of respect for each other and had a lot of fun together.”

“ Denny was a great talent with a great sense of humor and was always willing to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and fondly remembered by his friends, " McCartney added.

Laine, who was born Brian Frederick Hines, and McCartney released their debut album Wings Wild Life in 1971 and their second album Red Rose Speedway in 1973, which included the number one hit "My Love". This was followed by more success with the album Band on the Run, for which they won the first of two Grammy Awards for the title track in 1975.