Based on a recent report published by Daily Mail, Elton John’s bassist, Bob Birch was found dead in his apartment in Los Angeles. The gunshot wound at his head appears to be self-inflicted, but authorities will investigate the death to establish whether it was a suicide or a crime.

Robert Wayne Birch, better known as Bob Birch, Elton John’s bass player, was found dead on Wednesday and police officers suspect it was a suicide. The artist’s body was lying at the corner of his house in San Fernando when employees found him and notified the police during the first hours of the morning.

After carefully investigating the crime scene, police officers reached the conclusion that the death of the bassist was caused by a gunshot wound to the head. Since there was no sign of physical violence, the police were inclined to say that the wound was self-inflicted, that is, the artist committed suicide. It is, however, too early to make any suppositions because the legal coroner did not perform an autopsy on the dead body.

The analyses that were performed until now prove that the late bassist did not leave any suicidal note behind. In addition, police officers could not find any traces of drugs consumption in his home. Birch was 56 years old at the time of his death.

Bob Birch and Elton John have been on the same stage for a long time. They first started working together during the 1990 world tour and continued their collaboration for more than 20 years. Birch had the opportunity to play the famous song “Candle In The Wind” when it was first released in 1997. There were many other musicians who worked with Bob including Billy Joel, Tina Turner, the Spice Girls, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder.

Despite their longtime collaboration Sir Elton John did not release any statement in relation to his bassist’s death. Bob Birch is survived by his wife, Michele and his son, Jonathan.