Not long after the death of Greg Lake, the world has lost another prog kingpin. John Wetton, a former singer,bassist and songwriter for King Crimson and Asia, has died at the age of 67 from colon cancer. Asia last performed in November of 2014 but Wetton’s contributions live on within the many albums he contributed on including Brian Eno’s Here Come The Warm Jets, Bryan Ferry’s mid 70’s solo LPs and King Crimson’s Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red.
The news was announced Tuesday in a message from his former Asia bandmate Carl Palmer, also of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
With the passing of my good friend and musical collaborator, John Wetton, the world loses yet another musical giant. John was a gentle person who created some of the most lasting melodies and lyrics in modern popular music. As a musician, he was both brave and innovative, with a voice that took the music of Asia to the top of the charts around the world. His ability to triumph over alcohol abuse made him an inspiration to many who have also fought that battle. For those of us who knew him and worked with him, his valiant struggle against cancer was a further inspiration. I will miss his talent, his sense of humor and his infectious smile. May you ride easy, my old friend.
Watch Wetton perform these Larks’ Tongues songs live in 2003 and then of couse the big 80’s Asia hit “Heat of the Moment.”
