Gary Brooker dead aged 76 – Whiter Shade of Pale singer dies at home after cancer battle
PROCUL Harum singer Gary Brooker has died aged 76 after a battle with cancer.
The star co-wrote the band’s 1967 hit A Whiter Shade of Pale and toured with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr.
He also recorded with a string of music legends including Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
A statement from the band said: “He lit up any room he entered, and his kindness to a multilingual family of fans was legendary.
“He was notable for his individuality, integrity, and occasionally stubborn eccentricity.
“His mordant wit, and appetite for the ridiculous, made him a priceless raconteur (and his surreal inter-song banter made a fascinating contrast with the gravitas of Procol Harum’s performances).”
The statement also paid tribute to Brooker’s hit A Whiter Shade of Pale for “defining The Summer of Love’.
It added: “Gary’s voice and piano were the single defining constant of Procol’s fifty-year international concert career.
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“Without any stage antics or other gimmicks he was invariably the most watchable musician in the show.”
Brooker continued as frontman of the band during their 55-year success.
He was awarded an MBE in 2003 for his charity work.
As well as music, Brooker appeared in the Alan Parker film Evita starring Madonna, Jonathan Pryce and Antonio Banderas.
The musician grew up in Hackney, East London, before moving to Southend-on-Sea in Essex.
Brooker attended Southend Municipal College to study zoology and botany but dropped out to pursue a career in music.
He married Swiss au pair Françoise Riedo in 1968.