‘Yes’ band Alan White died peacefully at his home in the US after a short illness. He was 72. 

 In a statement on White’s Facebook page, Gigi, his wife, said: “Alan White, our beloved husband, dad, and grandpa, passed away at the age of 72 at his Seattle-area home on May 26, 2022, after a brief illness.  

Also Read: Enjoying the silence: British musician Andy Fletcher dead at 60

He had been looking forward to a forthcoming UK tour and celebrating his 50th anniversary with Yes, which he joined in 1972, the band said.

During his career White also worked with stars, including John Lennon, George Harrison and Joe Cocker. Alan was born in Pelton, County Durham, England on June 14, 1949. He began piano lessons at the age of six, began playing the drums at 12, and has been performing publicly since the age of thirteen.

Yes was founded by former frontman Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire in 1968 in London, alongside guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Bill Bruford.

The band went through numerous line-ups featuring stars such as White and Rick Wakeman, exploring many musical styles. Their hits include Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround.

Throughout the 1960s, Alan honed his craft with a variety of bands, including The Downbeats, The Gamblers, Billy Fury, Alan Price Big Band, Bell and Arc, Terry Reid, Happy Magazine (later called Griffin). 

Also Read: Who was John Zderko, ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘The Mentalist’ actor dead at 60?

“In 1968, Alan joined GingerBarker’s Airforce, a new group that was put together by the former drummer of Cream and other noted musicians from England’s music scene, including Steve Winwood, formerly of Traffic.

“In 1969, Alan received what he thought at the time to be a prank phone call, but it was John Lennon calling to ask Alan to join the Plastic Ono Band. The next day Alan found himself learning songs in the back of an airliner headed to Toronto with Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, and Klaus Voormann. 

When White joined Yes  on July  27, 1972, he had just three days to learn the songs before the start of a big US tour.

With the passing of founding member Chris Squire, in 2015, White was the longest continuously serving band member.

They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.