Chris Squire, bassist of progressive rock band Yes, dies

Yes’ keyboardist Geoff Downes was the the first to break the news online early Sunday, writing on his Twitter, “Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire”.

For the entirety of Yes’ existence, Chris was the band’s linchpin and the glue that held it together over all these years. Chris was also a fantastic songwriter, having written and co-written much of Yes’ most endearing music… Yes’ current incarnation featured singer Jon Davison, and as Squire told Rolling Stone, the vocalist was hired based on a recommendation from Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins. With his gentle, easy-going nature, he was a great friend of many us.

“Born at the right time, on March 4, 1948, Squire’s quickly developing musical genius was matched stride for stride by technology”, wrote Ultimate Classic Rock.

Our thoughts go out to Chris‘ family and friends during this hard time.

Squire had revealed last month he was battling a rare form of leukaemia and would undergo treatment in Phoenix, his adopted hometown in the United States.

Squire was the only constant in the band’s lineup since the 1969 debut of its eponymous album, “Yes”. It’s 1970s albums “The Yes Album,” “Fragile” and “Close To The Edge” are considered hallmarks of the progressive rock movement. Squire also released a solo album, Fish Out Of Water, in 1975. The Grammy-winning band’s hits include “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” which became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard pop charts in the 1980s. It was through that last band that he met Jon Anderson.

Ex- Metallica lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, who co-founded Megadeath tweeted: “A tremendous talent and a terribly sad loss”.