Yes Drummer Alan White Dead at 72

Alan White, the drummer for British prog band Yes, died earlier today following a brief illness, his wife Gigi confirmed via the artist’s Facebook page.

His family took to social media to pay tribute to White’s decades-long career in music. The post 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. Throughout his life and six-decade career, Alan was many things to many people: a certified rock star to fans around the world; bandmate to a select few, and gentleman and friend to all who met him.”

Earlier this week, Yes had announced that White — a member of the band since 1972 — was to sit out their upcoming U.K. and Ireland shows through June due to health reasons. It was to mark the 50th anniversary of Yes’ album Closer to the Edge, which had featured outgoing drummer Bill Bruford and was the first opportunity White was handed to shine.

In a short statement, the band’s management had said earlier this week: “Alan was really looking forward to playing live again preparing to celebrate 50 years with Yes, having joined the band for the July 1972 Close To The Edge Tour, coming full circle in 2022. Alan’s close friend Jay Schellen will be taking on drumming duties in Alan’s place.”

White was also famously known for being part of John Lennon’s album Imagine and behind the kit for the Plastic Ono Band since 1969. White had a trial by fire, performing in front of 25,000 people at the Live Peace show in Toronto. He recalled in a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, “They had a drum stool and there was no drums. I went, ‘Oh, this isn’t going to be good.’ Eric [Clapton] plugged his guitar in and they built a drum kit around me while I sat there. Suddenly, the sticks were thrown into my hand and John counted, ‘1, 2, 3 …’ And we were in the first number. It was all kind of a flash in a pan.”

His family’s Facebook post recalls, “Alan’s association with Lennon continued, recording singles like ‘Instant Karma’ and the subsequent landmark album, Imagine, with Alan providing drums for the title song, ‘Jealous Guy,’ and ‘How Do You Sleep at Night.’ Alan’s work with Lennon led to an introduction to George Harrison, who asked Alan to perform on the album All Things Must Pass, including the single, ‘My Sweet Lord’, released in 1970. Alan subsequently worked with many artists for the Apple label, including Billy Preston, Rosetta Hightower, and Doris Troy.”