Chris Squire, Yes Co-Founder and Bassist, Dead at Age 67 After Leukemia Battle Corinne Heller, eonline 16 hours ago Chris Squire, a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes, has died at age 67. The bassist, vocalist and songwriter passed away on Saturday following a battle with leukemia. "It's with the heaviest of hearts and unbearable sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our dear friend and Yes co-founder, Chris Squire," read a message posted on the group's Facebook page on Sunday. "Chris peacefully passed away last night in Phoenix, Arizona." Squire is survived by wife Scotty and children Carmen, Chandrika, Camille, Cameron, and Xilan. "With his gentle, easy-going nature, Chris was a great friend of many...including each of us," the band's statement said. "But he wasn't merely our friend: he was also part of our family and we shall forever love and miss him." Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes paid tribute to his late bandmate and friend on Twitter. "Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire. #yes," he tweeted. Squire was born in London in 1948 and co-founded Yes in 1968 with singer Jon Anderson , who left the group several years ago. Squire performed on all of Yes' albums and co-wrote some of the group's biggest hits, including the '80s song "Owner of a Lonely Heart," "Leave It" and "Lift Me Up." He released one solo album, Fish Out of Water, in 1975. Squire's leukemia diagnosis was revealed last month. A statement posted on Yes' official website said that he was to undergo treatment for acute erythroid leukemia (AEL) in Phoenix, his hometown, over the next few months and would be replaced on the band's North American summer tour by former band mate Billy Sherwood. "This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that Yes will have performed live without me," Squire was quoted as saying. "But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same Yes experience that our fans have come to expect over the years." © 2015 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All rights reserved., http://www.eonline.com/about/copyright/index.jsp
Damn. Wasn't a Yes fan when they were in their hey day, only became a fan much later on when I was in my 40's. That's a shame, RIP. _
Yeah, I find as I got older I really appreciated their stuff. He was a fantastic bass player and you can really hear it in their songs. Definitely one of the more unique sounding bands of that era and definitely one of the most underrated. I was actually listening to Roundabout the other night. So sad that he found out about it about a month ago.... just awful to think. #cancerfuckingsucks
They announced he wasn't going to be part of the next tour a month ago I think. I just booked tickets this weekend. Chris was absolutely integral to the Yes sound. It will never be the same. RIP Chris.
Part of great College memories, one of my favorite 8 Track songs was "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunshine". RIP
I've Seen ALL Good People, probably my favorite by them. I wasnt all that big a fan of Prog Rock, but for Yes I made an exception, and imo a HUGE part of their sound was Squire. One of the best bass players ever.
