Jack Bruce, one of the founder members of the British supergroup Cream, died yesterday of liver disease, aged 71.

Bishopbriggs-born Bruce, a virtuoso bass player, founded the band with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker in the late 1960s.

He attended Bellahouston Academy in Glasgow and won a scholarship to study cello and musical composition at the then Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, which has an "informal performance space" in the building named after him and features a wall sculpture depicting his life story.

Last night, his family said: "It is with great sadness that we, Jack's family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all round legend. The world of music will be a poorer place without him but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts."

Bruce's death was announced on his official website, and confirmed by his publicist, Claire Singers.

She said: "He died at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family."

Cream sold 35 million albums in just over two years and were awarded the world's first-ever platinum disc for double album Wheels Of Fire. Bruce wrote and sang many of the band's songs, including I Feel Free, White Room, Politician and one of the world's most performed guitar riffs in Sunshine Of Your Love.

Cream split in November 1968 at the height of their popularity. Bruce felt that he had strayed too far from his ideals and wanted to rediscover his musical and social roots.

Many artists covered Bruce's songs, from Jimi Hendrix, to David Bowie, to Ella Fitzgerald.

Bruce, born on May 14, 1943, joined his first major band in 1962 in London. This was Alexis Korner's Blues Inc. The drummer was Charlie Watts, who was later to join the Rolling Stones.

Bruce left Korner in 1963 to form a group with organist Graham Bond, guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Ginger Baker. This group became the seminal Graham Bond Organisation after McLaughlin left and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith joined. But Bruce was compelled to leave this band after three years by Baker, who said his playing was "too busy".

Bruce then joined the seminal John Mayall's Blues Breakers, where he first met Clapton, followed by Manfred Mann in an ill-advised attempt at commercialism.

It was Baker who initially asked Bruce to form a trio with Clapton, who insisted that Bruce would be the singer.

After Cream broke up, Bruce began recording solo albums, the first being Songs For A Tailor, and began his policy of playing simultaneously in rock, jazz and classical formats. He fronted many of his own bands and also worked as a session man with stars including Lou Reed and Frank Zappa, with whom Jack co-wrote Apostrophe, which became Zappa's biggest-selling album.

In 2005, Bruce reunited with Clapton and Baker for Cream's first concert tour in 37 years. As part of it, the band played four nights at London's Royal Albert Hall.

In 2007, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, his alma mater.

Earlier this year, he released his 14th solo album, Silver Rails.

Prior to his death, Bruce and his wife Margrit were planning to retire to their ranch-style property in Majorca.

Ginger Baker has paid tribute to his "one-off" bandmate.

Baker, who is just as famous for his outstanding drumming skills as his wild exploits, said that he first thought that the news of Bruce's death was a hoax because he has himself been reported dead before.

Speaking from a hotel in the Republic of Ireland, Baker, 75, said: "We go back a long way, I called him Wee Jack. It's a big loss to the world and I'm very sad.

"I found out yesterday when my daughter phoned me and my first reaction was that it was a hoax because I have been reported dead so many times myself, but then it became reality.

"It was quite a while since I last spoke to him but he was a one-off, his approach to music made him special.

"My feeling is with his wife Margrit and his kids."

Baker said he had still not had a chance to speak to Clapton but was hoping to attend the funeral.

Scheduled to play tonight at a jazz festival in Cork, Ireland, he said that he had "some ideas" about dedicating his performance to Bruce.

In 2005, Bruce reunited with Clapton and Baker for Cream's first concert tour in 37 years, playing at London's Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden in New York City.

"Cream was one-off magic, there has never been anything like it before or since and there never will be," Baker said.

"It was magic between the three of us, the first time we played together was just fantastic, we all played off each other.

"There will never be on a par with Cream, not even close.

"I get angry when I see Cream described as a rock group, because it wasn't.

"It was three guys improvising, more like jazz. I'd say 80% or 85% of it was improvisation."