Chris Squire dies at 67; cofounder and bassist of rock band Yes

Chris Squire, the cofounder and bassist of the progressive rock band Yes who recently announced he was suffering from leukemia, has died at his home in Phoenix. He was 67.

The band posted a statement on its Facebook page saying Squire had “peacefully passed away” Saturday.

The news comes months after Squire announced he would have to miss his first Yes tour since 1968 after being diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia, an uncommon form of acute myeloid leukemia.

“For the entirety of Yes’ existence, Chris was the band’s linchpin and, in so many ways, the glue that held it together over all these years,” Yes said in its initial post.

“Because of his phenomenal bass-playing prowess, Chris influenced countless bassists around the world, including many of today’s well-known artists. Chris was also a fantastic songwriter,” it said.

Squire was born March 4, 1948, in London and was the only member of the band to play on all of Yes’ albums.

Squire cofounded the group with former member Jon Anderson in 1968 and was credited with cowriting much of Yes’ music. The band’s hits include “Roundabout,” “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” which became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard pop charts in the 1980s. The band won a Grammy Award in 1985 for best rock instrumental for “Cinema” from its “90125” album.

Squire also released a solo album, “Fish Out of Water,” in 1975, and played in the short-lived supergroup XYZ (eX-Yes-Zeppelin), which included Jimmy Page.

“Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire,” Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes tweeted.

Squire is survived by his wife, Scotland, and several children.

The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.