Graeme Edge, (Graeme Charles Edge) was born March 30, 1941, in Rochester, England; he was the legendary talented Moody Blues drummer and co-founder who passed away today November 11, Veterans Day at the age of 80.
Graeme was a poetic figure of the band and wrote the poetry on the song, “Late Lament” on the Moody Blues classic 1967 Days of Future Passed album. The Moody Blues were an English band formed in the 1960s in Birmingham, England.
The Moody Blues were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. in 2018 after a longstanding waiting period.
The news broke on several sources including UK media sources Daily Mail, MetroUK,The Sun, and The Guardian tabloids. Rolling Stone, Vulture, and other multiple media outlets also reported the sad news of Edge’s passing. It is unknown his cause of death but he has been ill with various health issues.
Watch this YouTube video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_87CeOfm0A
Graeme suffered a stroke and a subsequent amount of health-related issues which led to second drummer Gordon Marshall helping him out on stage and while on tour. Gordon eventually left the band and Graeme was forced to retire due to health-related issues in 2018. This marks the end of The Moody Blues as we know it.
Justin Hayward, the band’s lead guitarist and singer; memorialized and issued this statement and paid tribute to Graeme on the band’s fan website Moody Blues Today.com:
“It’s a very sad day. Graeme’s sound and personality are present in everything we did together and thankfully that will live on.
When Graeme told me he was retiring I knew that without him it couldn’t be the Moody Blues anymore. And that’s what happened. It’s true to say that he kept the group together throughout all the years because he loved it.
In the late 1960’s we became the group that Graeme always wanted it to be, and he was called upon to be a poet as well as a drummer. He delivered that beautifully and brilliantly while creating an atmosphere and setting that the music would never have achieved without his words. I asked Jeremy Irons to recreate them for our last tours together and it was absolutely magical.
Graeme, and his parents, were very kind to me when I first joined the group, and for the first two years, he and I either lived together or next door to each other – and despite us having almost nothing in common, we had fun and laughs all the way, as well as making what was probably the best music of our lives.
Graeme was one of the great characters of the music business and there will never be his like again.”
“My sincerest condolences to his family.”
Justin Hayward
It has been reported that the former Bradenton, FL resident was diagnosed with cancer in July of this year according to this tweet from WMNF News.
Moody Blues founder and drummer Graeme Edge died today. He was 80. He lived in Bradenton and there are reports that he was diagnosed with cancer in July. https://t.co/hAAQwXbSvO#MoodyBlues #Bradenton
— Seán Kinane WMNF (@wmnfnews) November 11, 2021
Here’s a couple of other tweets from fans in the media paying tribute to Graeme:
Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward has paid tribute to bandmate Graeme Edge, who has died at the age of 80.https://t.co/u7VWjFhuzA
— BBC News Midlands (@bbcmtd) November 11, 2021
The Moody Blues provided the soundtrack for much of the ’60s and ’70s, even though their biggest hit, “Your Wildest Dreams,” came with the help of the MTV era in the ’80s. Graeme Edge, drummer and co-founding member of the Moody Blues, has diedhttps://t.co/cfFM8Lb7GM
— abc27 News (@abc27News) November 11, 2021
Today, The Moody Blues are sadly no more and now the frontmen Justin Hayward and John Lodge are touring separately solo.
RIP Graeme Edge. You will be sorely missed by your family, friends, the Moodies, and fans.