John Wetton, bassist and former frontman of Asia, and a veteran of bands including King Crimson and Roxy Music has lost a battle with cancer. He was 67.
Today, Carl Palmer, who incidentally recently lost ELP collaborators Keith Emerson and Jeff Lake, memorialized another musical collaborator in Wetton, with whom he played in Asia. “With the passing of my good friend and musical collaborator, John Wetton, the world loses yet another musical giant,” Palmer said in a statement.
“John was a gentle person who created some of the most lasting melodies and lyrics in modern popular music. As a musician, he was both brave and innovative, with a voice that took the music of ASIA to the top of the charts around the world. His ability to triumph over alcohol abuse made him an inspiration to many who have also fought that battle. For those of us who knew him and worked with him, his valiant struggle against cancer was a further inspiration. I will miss his talent, his sense of humor and his infectious smile. May you ride easy, my old friend.”
Over the years, Wetton collaborated with scores of musicians, including Yes, Brian Ferry, and Genesis.
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