(WatchDogReport.org) – Legendary keyboardist Mike Pinder, who was one of the founding members of the British rock band Moody Blues, died on April 24 at his house in northern California at the age of 82 after suffering from dementia for the last few years. Pinder, who has been considered one of the greatest rock keyboarders of all time, was the last living Moody Blues founding member.
In a statement, Pinder’s family said that he was not only a talented musician but also a great man who always showed his love for his closest ones. The family added he was a great father and husband, detailing that Pinder’s last days were “filled” with the songs he loved the most while surrounded by his family.
Pinder was born in 1941 in Birmingham, England. In 1964, he founded the Moody Blues along with Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, Graeme Edge, and Ray Thomas. While he had said in numerous interviews that the band’s first months were “tough,” they gained massive notoriety in 1965. However, even when the Moody Blues became one of the most famous music bands of the moment and started to be successful in other European nations, Pinder decided to leave the band in 1966.
As soon as he got out of Moody Blues, he promised the other band members he would find the proper replacement so Moody Blues’ success would remain unchanged. He delivered a couple of months later when he found Justin Hayward, who replaced him as the new keyboardist.
While the short period without Pinder was still thriving, he eventually returned and experienced some of the best years of the Moody Blues. When the band took a short hiatus in 1977, he started his solo career in 1978 and decided not to remain a permanent member. He officially returned to the music industry with a second solo album in 1994 and was part of the band when it was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Rock and Roll in 2018.
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