The Moody Blues’ John Lodge Dead At 82

John Lodge, bassist and vocalist for British rockers the Moody Blues, has passed away. According to The Guardian, Lodge’s family broke the news in a statement, writing that he died peacefully at home while listening to Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. No cause of death has been reported. Lodge was 82.

John Charles Lodge grew up in Birmingham, where he studied engineering. Before college, he played with some of his future Moody Blues bandmates in the early UK rock ‘n’ roll band El Riot & The Rebels. He joined the Moody Blues in 1966, after original bassist Clint Warwick parted ways with the band. When Lodge came on board, the Moody Blues were making the transition from the stripped-down R&B of their early years to the psychedelic rock that would make them hugely successful.

For years, Lodge played bass and sometimes sang on Moody Blues tracks, including their biggest hit, 1967’s “Nights In White Satin.” Lodge also wrote a number of songs for the group, including the singles “Ride My See-Saw,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” and “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band).” When the Moody Blues went on hiatus in the mid-’70s, Lodge and bandmate Justin Hayward released the 1975 album Blue Jays, and they were backed up by 10cc on “Blue Guitar,” a top-10 UK hit. Lodge also released the 1977 solo album Natural Animal.

Lodge rejoined the Moody Blues when the got going again in 1977, and he wrote their single “Talking Out Of Turn,” a minor hit in 1981. He continued to perform with the band until 2018. He also released the 2015 solo LP 10,000 Light Years Ago, and he briefly joined Yes after the end of the Moody Blues. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame along with the rest of the Moody Blues.

In the past few years, we’ve also lost the former Moody Blues members Roy Thomas, Graeme Edge, Denny Laine, and Mike Pinder. Check out some of Lodge’s work below.