The lead singer for Procol Harum, Gary Brooker, has died.
He was 76 years old.
Brooker was not only the lead singer for the band over its 55 years of performing, he also co-wrote the group’s hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” released in 1967, Rolling Stone reported.
Procol Harum released a statement about Brooker’s death, saying, “He lit up any room he entered, and his kindness to a multilingual family of fans was legendary.”
He was known for his “occasionally stubborn eccentricity,” the band said in the statement, according to Rolling Stone.
Brooker also toured with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr and recorded with two other Beatles: Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
The Guardian reported that Brooker had been treated for cancer. He died at his home over the weekend.
Brooker was 14 when he started his first band, The Paramounts, while in school, BBC News reported. The band signed a deal and had a hit with “Poison Ivy.”
The band eventually split up after not having other songs perform well on the record charts.
He formed Procol Harum in 1966 after The Paramounts split, BBC News reported.
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” eventually was awarded the “Best British pop single 1952-1977,″ sharing the title with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” during the first Brit Awards ceremony in 1977, BBC News reported.
Brooker was married to Françoise “Franky” Riedo, whom he wed in 1968.
In 2003, he was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his charity work. He also enjoyed fishing, painting, inventing and at one point owned a pub, The Guardian reported.
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