Rock Music Legend John Wetton Dies : 12.06.49 – 31.01.17
31st January 2017Rock music legend John Wetton sadly passed away in the early hours of this morning,
Tuesday 31st January 2017, after a long and courageous battle against colon cancer.
John rose to fame with King Crimson in the early 1970’s during the iconic ‘Red’ era
and later formed the band UK. In the early 1980’s he was a founder member of
supergroup ASIA, which was his biggest commercial success. The band’s 1982 self-titled
debut album was the biggest selling album in the world that year and contained the
mega-hit ‘Heat of the Moment’.
John also enjoyed a successful solo career, including the seminal album ‘Battle Lines’,
and formed iCon with ASIA bandmate Geoff Downes. In 2006 the original line-up of ASIA
reformed and toured the world several times to promote four further studio albums.
John had been planning to tour with ASIA for the band’s forthcoming US arena tour with
Journey and, following the success of his solo Studio Recordings Anthology, to continue
working on the ongoing reissue programme of his solo albums via his own Primary
Purpose label.
John valued his over 11 years of sobriety and volunteered time in fellowship with other
alcoholics to share his experience, strength and hope with them. John is survived by
his recently wed wife Lisa, 18 year old son Dylan, brother Robert and mother Peggy.
The very last studio song of John Wetton’s career was the closing track on the most
recent ASIA album ‘Gravitas’, which included the profound lyric “Think the best of me,
till we meet again.”
A new live album by ASIA entitled ’Symfonia – Live In Bulgaria 2013’ is released on the
Frontiers label on 24th February.
Official Website : www.johnwetton.com
