Procol Harum’s vocalist Gary Brooker is said to have passed away on February 19, 2022, at the age of 76. His passing was announced by his band in a joint statement posted on their official website:
Gary Brooker MBE, the vocalist, pianist, and lyricist for Procol Harum, will pass away on February 19, 2022. He was a brilliant, irreplaceable light in the music industry.
Procol Harum claimed that Brooker passed away peacefully at home after a fight with cancer. His wife, Franky Brooker, lives on.
The guitarist’s private burial and memorial service would be scheduled later, the band added. Gary Brooker was an English singer, composer, and pianist best known as the leader of the storied rock group Procol Harum in the 1960s. He also belonged to The Paramounts, a Southend beat band. Together with Procol Harum, the musician has also worked with George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and others.
On May 29, 1945, at East London’s Hackney Hospital, Gary Brooker was born. He started playing instruments as a child, including the piano, trombone, and cornet. He was the son of musician, Harry Brooker. Before transferring to Southend Municipal College to study zoology and botany, he attended Westcliff High School for Boys.
The vocalist afterward decided to pursue a career in music and left college. Along with guitarist Robin Trower, the musician founded The Paramounts in 1962. Before breaking up in 1966, the band enjoyed great success in the British R&B scene of the 1960s.
After the band split up in 1966, Keith Reid and Brooker co-founded Procol Harum. The band’s 1967 single, A Whiter Shade of Pale, became a global phenomenon and is recognized for embodying “The Summer of Love.”
Following the breakup of Procol Harum in 1977, Brooker started a solo career and issued his debut record, No More Fear of Flying, in 1979. In that same year, he also became a member of Eric Clapton’s band and contributed to their studio album Another Ticket.
The vocalist also went on tour with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr band and Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. He participated in a charity performance in 1996 with the Gary Brooker Ensemble to raise money for St. Mary and All Saints Church in Surrey.
In the same year, Madonna, Jonathan Pryce, and Antonio Banderas joined Brooker as co-stars in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Evita. The performer organized a second charitable concert in 2005, performing to a packed Guildford Cathedral to help raise money for the tsunami relief effort.
He also frequently performed to raise money for the Countryside Alliance, a cause he had supported for a very long time. In honor of his humanitarian work, Brooker was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire on June 14, 2003, as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours. He also received a BASCA on October 28, 2009, for his musical accomplishments.
Also Read: Is Eddie Huang Married, Dating, And Engaged
