Wow. It was some Thursday night for celebs passing away. There’s always this theory of three’s that says when a celebrity passes away, two more will soon. Well this was three in one day.
Ray Liotta, Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode, and Alan White of the quintessential Prog Rock band YES.
“The news has shocked and stunned the entire YES family. Alan had been looking forward to the forthcoming UK Tour, to celebrating his 50th Anniversary with YES and their iconic Close To The Edge album, where Alan’s journey with YES began in July 1972,” the band shared on Instagram alongside a photo of their drummer of 50 years. “He recently celebrated the 40th Anniversary of his marriage to his loving wife Gigi. Alan passed away, peacefully at home.”
The band’s tribute noted that White was “considered one of the greatest drummers of all time.”
Alan worked with John Lennon on Imagine, for gods sake. That’s about all you need to know.
But here’s one of my favorite YES songs to give you a flavor of his work.