British rock band YES drummer Alan White has died at the age of 73. A message about this was published on May 26 on the band’s official Twitter page.
The Guardian newspaper noted that the musician died at home in the vicinity of American Seattle (Washington) after a short illness.
“YES is deeply saddened to announce that Alan White, our beloved drummer and with whom we have been friends for 50 years, has passed away at the age of 72 after a short illness,” the band said in a statement.
Born in 1949 in County Durham, White began playing drums at the age of 12 and a year later joined his first band, the Downbeats, later the Blue Chips.
YES was founded in 1968 by John Anderson and Chris Squire, who died in 2015. White was asked to join Yes in 1972.
For more than half a century of history, the group has released 22 studio albums, and the total circulation of all its records, including live CDs and compilations, is approaching 50 million copies.
White is a credited songwriter on dozens of songs and has featured on over 40 albums. Health problems that began in 2016 forced him to retire from his career as a musician, but he continued to play occasionally.