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Mike Pinder, the last original Moody Blues member, dies at the age of 82

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The last original member of The Moody Blues has passed away.

Keyboardist Mike Pinder died Wednesday at the age of 82 in Northern California, according to his family, the band and guitarist John Lodge, who lives in Naples, Florida.

Pinder follows original singer and guitarist Denny Laine, who passed away in Naples last year.

“Very sad news, the last of the original lineup of the Moody Blues has passed away,” Laine’s widow Elizabeth wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “He has now been reunited with Denny, Ray, Graeme and Clint; what a joyful reunion that must be.”

Lodge and The Moody Blues confirmed the news on Facebook on Thursday.

“All the love possible goes out from the Lodge family to Mike’s family today,” Lodge and The Moody Blues wrote in separate messages. “REST IN PEACE.”

Moody Blues’ Mike Pinder: His family pays tribute

Pinder died surrounded by his family, the Facebook post said. No cause of death was revealed.

“Michael’s family would like to share with his trusted friends and caring fans that he passed away peacefully,” Pinder’s family said in a statement released by Lodge and The Moody Blues. “His final days were filled with music, surrounded by the love of his family. Michael lived his life with a childlike wonder, as he walked a deeply introspective path that merged the mind and heart.”

The statement continued: “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 emerged. His lyrics, philosophy and vision of humanity and our place in the cosmos will touch everyone who came into contact with him for generations to come.”

Mike Pinder’s death follows Denny Laine

Pinder sang and played keyboard in The Moody Blues. He founded the British band in 1964 with Laine, Ray Thomas, Clint Warwick and Graeme Edge.

Laine was 79 when he died on December 5. After contracting COVID in 2022, the singer-guitarist had been in and out of the hospital for various health issues, Hines said last year, including a collapsed lung, bacterial infections and interstitial lung disease (ILD), the lung disease that ultimately killed him.

He is buried at the Palm Royale Funeral Home & Cemetery in North Naples.

Both Laine and Pinder were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 with The Moody Blues.

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