Alan White, a founding member of the seminal prog-rock band Yes, has passed away.

After a brief illness, the 72-year-old, who was born in Pelton, County Durham, died peacefully at his home in the United States. According to the band, he had been looking forward to an upcoming UK tour and celebrating his 50th anniversary with Yes, which he had joined in 1972.

White collaborated with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Joe Cocker during his career. “Alan White, our beloved husband, father, and grandpa, passed away at the age of 72 at his Seattle-area home on May 26, 2022, after a brief illness,” the band said in a social media post.

“Alan was many things to many people throughout his life and six-decade career: a certified rock star to fans all over the world, a band mate to a select few, and a gentleman and friend to all who met him.”

Former frontman Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire, along with guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford, founded Yes in London in 1968. The band went through several lineups, including White and Rick Wakeman, and experimented with a variety of musical styles.

Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Roundabout, and Long Distance Runaround are some of their biggest hits. White began playing the drums at the age of 12 and was performing in front of an audience at the age of 13.

In the 1960s, he worked with a variety of bands before receiving what he thought was a prank phone call from John Lennon in 1969.

However, it was the former Beatle who called to ask if White would join the Plastic Ono Band, and White went on to play on several of John Lennon’s albums, including Imagine. This led to a meeting with Harrison, who requested that the drummer play on the album All Things Must Pass, which included the single “My Sweet Lord.”

White had only three days to learn the songs before the start of a major US tour when he joined Yes on July 27, 1972. White was the band’s longest-serving member until founding member Chris Squire passed away in 2015. In 2017, Yes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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