Gary Brooker, Co-Founder/Singer for Procol Harum, Dies at 76

Gary Brooker, founder and singer for Procol Harum, has died. He was 76.

Brooker’s death was confirmed in a statement via Procol Harum’s website with his cause of death stemming from cancer.

“With the deepest regret, we must announce the death on 19 February 2022 of Gary Brooker MBE, singer, pianist and composer of Procol Harum, and a brightly-shining, irreplaceable light in the music industry. Aged 76, he had been receiving treatment for cancer, but died peacefully at home,” read the statement. “From his earliest onstage duets with his musician father, through his youthful recording career with Southend’s The Paramounts, Gary exhibited and developed a highly-individual talent. His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ is widely regarded as defining ‘The Summer of Love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era.”

The statement continued, “Nor was it characteristic of his own writing. Over thirteen albums Procol Harum never sought to replicate it, preferring to forge a restlessly progressive path, committed to looking forward, and making each record a ‘unique entertainment’. Gary’s voice and piano were the single defining constant of Procol’s fifty-year international concert career. Without any stage antics or other gimmicks he was invariably the most watchable musician in the show (he played several other instruments in the studio)…But for all his other interests and skills – prize-winning angler, pub-owner, lyricist, painter, inventor – he was above all a devoted and loyal husband to Franky, whom he met in 1965 and married in 1968. Our thoughts must be with her, their families and friends at this extremely sad time.”

Notable Celebrity Deaths of 2022

Discover

Sponsor

spot_img

Latest

Seether and Daughtry Team Up for 2025 U.S. Co-Headlining Tour with Special Guests 

Two rock giants will storm across America as Seether and Daughtry launch their 24-city tour starting on October 1. Stops will happen in Atlanta,...

This Day in Sports History: June 7

Many exciting sports events take place in June, including Major League Baseball, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, and Wimbledon. Throughout history, there...

This Day in Top 40 History: June 4  

Pop music fans will always associate June 4 with number one hits from top and emerging artists. It was also a day filled with...

​Kurt Cobain’s Melvins van mural sells for $26K 

The mural Kurt Cobain created on a Melvins tour van sold at auction for $26,000.The piece was part of the Julien's Auctions Music Icons...

Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Will Be Released in Three Phases + A Bonus Episode

Dream of the Endless is back to wreck your sleep schedule, because bingeing The Sandman Season 2 is going to take a bit more strategy this...