John Wetton, Singer/Bassist for King Crimson and Asia, Dies at 67
John Wetton, singer/bassist and veteran of multiple famed prog-rock outfits, died Tuesday in his sleep, with the cause of death widely reported as colon cancer. He was 67.
His death was confirmed on social media by a number of Wetton’s former collaborators, including his Asia bandmate Geoffrey Downes, who tweeted, “I am sorry to be the bearer of the very sad news that my dearest friend, bandmate and co-writer, John Wetton, has passed away.”
One of the most technically proficient and in-demand rock instrumentalists of the ’70s and ’80s, Wetton worked with a number of bands in his early career before coming to national prominence as the new singer and bassist for prog-rock legends King Crimson in 1972. After that group was disbanded a couple years later, Wetton spent time with the similarly renowned art-rock outfits Roxy Music and Uriah Heep, and he formed the group U.K. with Crimson drummer Bill Bruford.
In the ’80s,…
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