Legendary ‘Days Of Future Passed’ Bassist John Lodge Dies At 82

John Lodge, the longtime singer-bassist of The Moody Blues who anchored the band’s landmark 1967 album “Days of Future Passed,” died suddenly at 82 on Friday, his family announced.

Lodge’s family said he “peacefully slipped away surrounded by his loved ones and the sounds of The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly.” The statement, posted on Lodge’s official Facebook page, described the Birmingham-born musician as a devoted husband, father and grandfather. (RELATED: ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Winner Dies Mysteriously At Age 36)

“It is with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that John Lodge, our darling husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law and brother has been suddenly and unexpectedly taken from us,” the family wrote.

Lodge joined The Moody Blues in 1966 alongside guitarist-singer Justin Hayward after the departures of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick, helping pivot the group into a symphonic-psychedelic force. He became a core writer, vocalist and bassist on “Days of Future Passed” — widely regarded as one of rock’s first concept albums — and the follow-up, “In Search of the Lost Chord.”

The band stopped touring in 2018, the same year The Moody Blues entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but Lodge continued to record and perform under his own name, revisiting the group’s classics onstage into his eighties, according to the Associated Press.

No cause of death was given. The family’s statement closed with Lodge’s familiar sign-off from the stage: “thank you for keeping the faith,” and linked to his song “Whispering Angels.”

Moody Blues perform on BBC Top of the Pops, July 1971, L-R Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, Justin Hayward, John Lodge. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Fans and peers quickly circulated the family’s announcement across social media, as tributes highlighted Lodge’s melodic bass lines and soaring harmonies on staples like “Nights in White Satin,” “Ride My See-Saw” and “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).”

Lodge’s final decades included solo work, archival projects tied to “Days of Future Passed,” and steady touring even as The Moody Blues ceased live performances.