Gary Brooker is dead. Vocalist Procol Harum was 76 years old

London-born Gary Booker led Procol Harum for 55 years. The singer died at his home from cancer on Saturday, the band said in a statement. Colleagues from the group said goodbye to him with the words:

He lit up every room he entered, and his kindness to the multilingual family of fans was legendary.

Gary Booker is dead. “He was distinguished by individuality, honesty, and sometimes stubborn eccentricity”

“He was distinguished by individuality, honesty, and sometimes stubborn eccentricity. His scathing wit and appetite for laughter made him an invaluable storyteller,” they also wrote.

Brooker has also played with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman, George Harrison and many other musicians. In 1996, he appeared opposite Madonna in the musical “Evita” by Alan Parker. He played the Argentine Foreign Minister Juan Atilio Bramuglia.

Whiter Shade of Pale, which he co-wrote, was written in 1967. The song became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold worldwide. At the first ever Brit Awards in 1977, the song was – in association with Queenu’s Bohemian Rhapsody – named Best Pop Single 1952-77.

– Every time I played it with anyone, I just sat at the piano and each person thought it sounded like a hit. So we honestly believed it would be a hit, even before we recorded it, he recalled in an interview in 2017. – When we recorded it and captured this very distinctive sound, quite haunted sound, we really thought it was good – he was talking about “Whiter Shade of Pale”, a musical inspired “Aria on the G string” by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Founded in 1967 by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, the band has also recorded songs such as: “Conquistador”, “Shine on Brightly”, “A Salty Dog”, “Whiskey Train”, “Whaling Stories”, “Simple Sister”, “Grand Hotel” and “Pandora’s Box”.