Yes is slated to hit the road this summer alongside Toto, but the UK prog rock outfit will have to do so without its founding member and bass guitarist. Chris Squire has been diagnosed with Acute Erythroid Leukemia, a rare form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, the band announced on its website today. The 67-year-old is expected to undergo treatment for the “next few months” in his hometown of Phoenix.
Taking Squire’s place on the upcoming tour will be former Yes member Billy Sherwood, who played with the band from 1997 to 2000, including on the albums Open Your Eyes and The Ladder.
In a statement, Squire spoke highly of Sherwood: “This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that Yes will have performed live without me. But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same Yes experience that our fans have come to expect over the years.”
All the dates for the Yes and Toto summer tour can be found here. Below, revisit Yes’ No. 1 single “Owner of a Lonely Heart”.
