It is the farewell of a progressive rock legend: at age 72, Alan White dieddrummer of Yes during fifty years of career and collaborator of John Lennon y George Harrison in solo endeavors. “In his life and his six-decade career, Alan was many things to many people: a certified rock star to fans around the world; bandmate for a select few, and gentleman and friend for all those who knew him, ”says the statement released by the family, which indicates that the musician died at his home in Seattle, United States.
With a multi-instrumentalist background, White was related to the ex-Beatles in 1969, when John Lennon invited him to join the Plastic Ono Band already record on your essential disk Imagine. That bond extended to a collaboration with Harrison on All Things Must Pass, but for the musician an even greater challenge would come in 1972, when the departure of Bill Bruford led to Yes offering him the job behind the patches.
From the live album Yessongs on, then, White ended up becoming the oldest member of the symphonic band. Due to his health problems, the band had already announced that on his 2022 tour the drummer would be replaced by Jay Schellen, who had already supplanted him in the past when he had to take a break due to back surgery.