Keith Reid, the lyricist for English rock band Procol Harum, has died aged 76.
The band, known for their 1967 hit A Whiter Shade Of Pale, confirmed Keith's passing in a Facebook post they shared on Wednesday.
The group noted that Keith had been receiving cancer treatment 'for the last couple of years' and 'died suddenly' in London last Thursday.
'Keith was the co-founder and lyricist for the band Procol Harum, notably penning their biggest hit A Whiter Shade of Pale, which contains some of the most enigmatic lyrics of all time.
The psychedelic rock band were best known for their 1967 debut hit A Whiter Shade Of Pale, which topped the singles charts for six weeks.
Tributes to Brooker have been pouring in and following his death, a clip of him discussing his music legacy - and most famous hit- has resurfaced.
“A Whiter Shade of Pale did extremely well, I don’t think anybody’s had a better first record. Not The Beatles, not Elvis [Presley], nobody,” he said. The band’s statement added that his charisma extended beyond the stage and that he “lit up any room he entered” and that “his kindness to a multilingual family of fans was legendary”.
He formed Procol Harum with his friend Keith Reid in 1966, and led the band for more than five decades, and during that time he helped write and was lead vocals on their 13 albums.
In 1977, A Whiter Shade Of Pale was named joint winner alongside Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody as Best British Pop Single 1952–1977 at the Brit Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Alan Cartwright, Procol Harum's bassist from 1971 to 1976, died on March 4 last year at age 75
Alan Cartwrite, born Oct. 10, 1945, first met Procol Harum singer-keyboardist Gary Brooker in 1966, having grown up in the same region of Edmonton/Enfield, England. He joined the progressive rock band five years later, first appearing on their influential 1972 recording, Procol Harum Live: In Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and remaining in the group for three studio albums: 1973's Grand Hotel, 1974's Exotic Birds and Fruit and 1975's Procol's Ninth.
"It is with great sadness that I heard of the passing of Alan Cartwright, bassist with Procol Harum from 1971–1976," Brooker wrote on March 8. "Looking back, he was always a very solid, musical, and reliable bass player, and a good bloke who gave of his best both in the studio and on the extensive tours Procol did when he was with us."
In his message - posted to Procolharum.com, a fan page which the band links to from their verified Facebook page - Brooker added that he and Cartwright "lost touch" around the time of Procol Harum's 1977 LP, Something Magic, which became their final record for nearly 14 years.
Read More: Procol Harum Bassist Alan Cartwright Dies at 75 | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alan-cartwright-dies/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
