Moody Blues drummer dies at 80

LOS ANGELES

Graeme Edge, a drummer and co-founder of The Moody Blues, has died. He was 80.

The band’s frontman, Justin Hayward, confirmed Edge’s death on the group’s website. The cause of his death has not been revealed.

Hayward called Edge the backbone of the British rock band, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. The band’s last album was released in 2003.

“When Graeme told me he was retiring I knew that without him it couldn’t be the Moody Blues anymore,” Hayward said.

“And that’s what happened. It’s true to say that he kept the group together throughout all the years, because he loved it,” he added.

In 1964, Edge co-founded the group in Birmingham, England.

His drumming expertise was a key ingredient for the band’s massive prog-rock hits between the 1960s-70s including “Nights in White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).”

Edge was featured in The Moody Blues’ 16 studio albums starting with “The Magnificent Moodies” in 1965 and ending with their final album, the Christmas-themed “December” in 2003.

The band’s bassist John Lodge paid homage to Edge on Facebook page, also lauding him for his spoken word talents.