Guitarist and co-founder of Yes
Born: March 4, 1948;
Died: June 27, 2015
Chris Squire, who has died aged 67, was the bass guitarist and co-founder of the 1970s British progressive rock band Yes. The only member of the group to feature on every studio album, he revealed just a month ago that he was suffering from a rare form of leukaemia.
He was born in Kingsbury, in northwest London, the son of a cab driver and a housewife. He sang in the choir of Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, but was suspended in 1964 for having his hair too long.
Yes were formed in 1968 when singer Jon Anderson met self-taught bassist Squire in London. Their big break came a year later when they signed to Atlantic Records after opening for Janis Joplin at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Their debut single, Sweetness, and their first album, Yes, were released later that year. Other albums included 1971's Fragile, 1972's Close To The Edge and 1977's Going For The One. In 1983 they released 90125, which featured the No 1 hit single Owner Of A Lonely Heart. Squire also released a solo album, Fish Out Of Water, in 1975.
The group's most recent studio album, Heaven & Earth, came out last year. They attracted a large following with their mixture of mystical lyrics, rambunctious harmonies and the powerful falsetto of lead vocalist Jon Anderson.
In May, Squire revealed that he had been recently diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia, which would force him to miss the band's summer co-headlining tour with Toto.
Current Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes announced the news of his bandmate's death. He said: "Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire."
In a statement, his bandmates described Squire as the band's linchpin. It said: "For the entirety of Yes' existence, Chris was the band's linchpin and, in so many ways, the glue that held it together over all these years. Because of his phenomenal bass-playing prowess, Chris influenced countless bassists around the world, including many of today's well-known artists.
"Chris was also a fantastic songwriter, having written and co-written much of Yes' most endearing music, as well as his solo album, Fish Out of Water.
"Outside of Yes, Chris was a loving husband to Scotty and father to Carmen, Chandrika, Camille, Cameron, and Xilan. With his gentle, easy-going nature, Chris was a great friend of many ... including each of us. But he wasn't merely our friend: he was also part of our family and we shall forever love and miss him."
He is survived by his wife Scotty and children.
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