R.I.P.: Cream Bassist Jack Bruce

Jack Bruce

Jack Bruce, the bassist and singer for the seminal 60s rock group Cream, died Saturday. He had been suffering from liver disease.

He was 71-years-of-age, according to The Guardian.

His death was announced on his official website and confirmed by his publicist Claire Singers. “Jack died today at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family,” she said.

Trained as a classical musician, Glasgow-born Bruce had a powerful melodic voice and was also a talented, jazz-influenced bass guitarist. He formed Cream with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker and was responsible, with co-writer Peter Brown, for penning the majority of the band’s songs. Their most famous hits include I Feel Free, White Room, Politician and (with Clapton) Sunshine Of Your Love, which features one of the world’s most frequently played guitar riffs.



The group were distinctive for the high quality of their musicianship andplayed a key role in establishing rock as a serious art form in the late 60s. Cream sold 35 million albums between 1966 and 1968 and were awarded the world’sfirst platinum disc for their album Wheels of Fire. A host of artists covered Bruce’s songs including Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and Ella Fitzgerald. Tributes to the singer poured in from the world of rock, including one from his former Cream bandmate Ginger Baker. “I am very sad to learn of the loss of a fine man, Jack Bruce,” he said via Facebook.