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Musician Greg Lake, who fronted both the influential bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, has died, the BBC reports.
The singer, guitarist and bass player, 69, lost a “a long and stubborn battle with cancer,” his manager told the UK news agency. On March 11 of this year, Lake’s ELP bandmate Keith Emerson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In a statement, Carl Palmer, now the sole living member of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, said, “It is with great sadness that I must now say goodbye to my friend and fellow bandmate, Greg Lake. Greg’s soaring voice and skill as a musician will be remembered by all who knew his music and recordings he made with ELP and King Crimson.”
He added, “I have fond memories of those great years we had in the 1970s and many memorable shows we performed together. Having lost Keith this year as well, has made this particularly hard for all of us. As Greg sang at the end of Pictures At An Exhibition, ‘death is life.’ His music can now live forever in the hearts of all who loved him.”
Greg Lake was a founding member of King Crimson, which also included his school friend Robert Fripp. Their 1969 album In the Court of the Crimson King, which Lake produced, was an instant hit.
After King Crimson toured the U.S. with the band The Nice, Lake became friendly with that band’s keyboard player, Keith Emerson, and the two decided to leave their respected bands and form a prog-rock “supergroup,” Emerson, Lake and Palmer, with drummer Carl Palmer. With ELP, Lake contributed bass, acoustic and electric guitar and vocals. The band’s melding of classical and rock sounds, on albums such as Pictures at an Exhibition, was Lake’s proudest achievement, as he told ABC Radio in September.
“One of the things we decided to do was to try and draw more upon our European roots, our own roots, for inspiration,” Lake said. “I think you’ll find that after ELP there were tons and tons of rock bands that incorporated European-influenced music. I think overall that would be my biggest reflective joy in those records, that it did throw open the floodgates to be able to simply appreciate classical music, for example.”
After ELP split in 1979, Lake joined Asia, and then co-founded a new band, Emerson, Lake and Powell, with drummer Cozy Powell. ELP reformed in the mid-’90s for a few more albums, and then split once more. ELP’s final gig together, in London in 2010, marked their 40th anniversary.
In addition to his work in his various bands, Lake scored a solo hit in 1975, “I Believe In Father Christmas,” which still gets airplay each holiday season.
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