Alan White, who played drums for the band Yes and played on John Lennon’s hit Imagine, has died at the age of 72 after a short illness.
Alan White could look back on a long and successful career. The musician joined the progressive rock band Yes in 1972 and played with John Lennon in the Plastic Ono Band. He can be heard on the Lennon songs “Instant Karma” and “Imagine”. As a member of Yes, White received creative awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. He also collaborated with George Harrison on All Things Must Pass.
“Alan White, our beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away at his home in Seattle on May 26, 2022 at the age of 72 after a short illness. Throughout his life and six-decade career, Alan has been many things to many people: a certified rock star to fans around the world, a bandmate to a select few, and a gentleman and friend to all who met him,” his family wrote in one Opinion on Facebook.
The bereaved continued the statement with a cross-section of his successful career:
“Alan was born on June 14, 1949 in Pelton, County Durham, England. At the age of six he received piano lessons. After that, he started playing the drums at the age of twelve and has been performing in public since he was thirteen. Throughout the 1960s, Alan honed his craft in a variety of bands. These included The Downbeats, The Gamblers, Billy Fury, Alan Price Big Band, Bell and Arc, Terry Reid, Happy Magazine (later Griffin) and Balls with Trevor Burton (The Move) and Denny Laine (Wings). In 1968 Alan Ginger joined Baker’s Airforce, a new group formed by the former Cream drummer and other well-known musicians from the English music scene, including Steve Winwood, formerly of Traffic.
In 1969, Alan received a call that he thought was a hoax at the time, but it was John Lennon. He asked Alan to join the Plastic Ono Band. The next day he found himself in the back seat of a plane en route to Toronto to record songs with Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton and Klaus Voormann. The album that followed, Live Peace In Toronto, sold millions and reached number 10 on the charts.
Alan’s collaboration with Lennon continued, recording singles such as ‘Instant Karma’ and the subsequent landmark album ‘Imagine’, with Alan contributing drums on the title track, ‘Jealous Guy’ and ‘How Do You Sleep at Night’. Alan’s work with Lennon led to an acquaintance with George Harrison, who asked him to appear on the 1970 album All Things Must Pass, including the single My Sweet Lord. As a result, the musician collaborated with many artists for the Apple label, including Billy Preston, Rosetta Hightower and Doris Troy.
Alan joined Yes on July 27, 1972 and only had three days to learn the music. On July 30, 1972, Yes opened their US tour in front of 15,000 fans in Dallas, Texas. Alan has been with Yes ever since and is the longest serving member of the band following the death of founding member Chris Squire in June 2015.
The drummer is survived by parents Raymond and May White (née Thrower), sister-in-law Mindi Hall and many loyal furry companions. He is survived by his forty-year-old wife (May 15, 1982) Rogena ‘Gigi’ (née Walberg), his children Jesse (Emily), their two children JJ and Ellie and Cassi (Kela), and his sister-in-law Andrea Holmqvist (Robert).”
White has struggled with health issues in the past. Speaking to ROLLING STONE three years ago, he hoped he would be able to play full shows with the band in the future.
“I had back surgery a few years ago,” he said. “Since then I’ve been getting better and better and I’m starting to play more and more. I’m doing pretty well at the moment and I feel good every day. I’m making progress.”
Earlier this week, Yes announced that White would not be taking part in the upcoming 50th Anniversary Close To The Edge UK tour due to health issues. The band now wants to dedicate this tour to White.