On July 3, 1969, Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones died aged 27. He was musician (guitar, sitar, harmonica, keyboards) and songwriter,  the founder, and original bandleader of the Rolling Stones. As he developed a serious drug problem over the years, his role in the band slowly diminished and Jagger and Richards overshadowed him. In June 1969, he was asked to leave the band and was replaced by Mick Taylor. Jones died by drowning in the swimming pool at his home on Cotchford Farm Hartfield, East Sussex. Bill Wyman (the original Rolling Stones bass player) said of Jones, “He formed the band, he chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs. ..Very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it – highly intelligent – and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away.”