John Palmer Has Died

John “Poli” Palmer, member of the famous English rock band Family, has died. He was 82.

The news was announced on the official Facebook page for Roger Chapman (the band’s lead singer) and Family two days ago.

“Hi folks. Sad news today. It appears our pal and Family’s multi instrumentalist, Poli Palmer has passed away,” the post reads. “No details but we’ll update you as we know more. Our thoughts are with Anna and the family. RIP.”

Palmer got his start in a group called The Hellions, alongside Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason (who would later form the famous rock group Traffic). He joined Family for the group’s third album, A Song For Me, and stayed with the band for their next two albums.

While not an original member of the band, he is highly regarded as integral to or even the creator of the group’s sound. In his time with the band, he played piano, synthesizer, drums, flute, and vibraphone.

After a stint as Elton John’s opening act, he left the band to form a new group with fellow bandmates Ric Grech and Mitch Mitchell. Later on in life, he worked with some of the most famous musicians of the era, like Linda Lewis, Peter Frampton, and Pete Townshend.

Before his death, he ended up rejoining Family on the band’s 2010s reunion tour.