Mike Pinder, Moody Blues’ last surviving original member, dies at 82

Mike Pinder, a founding member and keyboardist of prog rock band the Moody Blues, has died. He was 82. Pinder was the last surviving original member of the band.

He passed away Wednesday at his Northern California home, his family said in a statement shared by bandmate John Lodge.

“His final days were filled with music, encircled by the love of his family. Michael lived his life with a childlike wonder, walking a deeply introspective path which fused the mind and the heart,” his family said.

“He created his music and the message he shared with the world from this spiritually grounded place; as he always said, ‘Keep your head above the clouds, but keep your feet on the ground.’ His authentic essence lifted up everyone who came into contact with him. His lyrics, philosophy, and vision of humanity and our place in the cosmos will touch generations to come.”

No cause of death was announced.

Known for radio staples like “Nights in White Satin,” the Moody Blues were founded by instrumentalist/singer Ray Thomas, singer/guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist/singer Clint Warwick in 1964. guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist Lodge joined two years later after the departures of Laine and Warwick.

Pinder, who was born in 1941 in Birmingham, England, wrote and performed on the band’s first nine albums, including 1967’s “Days of Future Passed” where he first played a mellotron, a keyboard that uses prerecorded tracks to add non-piano sounds and special effects.

“With the ‘Tron I could develop melodies and counter melodies within the Moody Blues’ songs. When you become the orchestra, I think you become the arranger by default. I could create the backdrops and the landscape for the melodies that the guys were writing.” Pinder told Rolling Stone in 2018.

He left the band in the late ’70s but reunited when the psychedelic group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

“Mike your music will last forever. Rest in peace on your travels to heaven,” Lodge wrote on Twitter.