Cream Drummer Ginger Baker Has Died at 80 Years Old

Ginger Baker, a founding member and drummer of the legendary rock band Cream, has died at 80 years old.

In a statement to CNN, his daughter, Nettie Baker, said, “Dad passed away peacefully. He was in no pain and had recently been able to see and speak to his children, close family and special friends.” She said her father suffered “from many long term conditions,” including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Baker started playing drums at 16 years old, and became a fixture of the London jazz scene in the 1950s. He formed Cream with guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce in 1966, and the group’s track “Sunshine of Your Love,” propelled by Baker’s fierce, hard-hitting playing style, would become one of the most well-known rock songs in history. Baker formed Blind Faith with Clapton after Cream’s demise, later moving on to Ginger Baker’s Airforce, an outfit that combined rock, jazz and African influences. Baker would spend several years living in Nigeria and collaborated with famed Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti. Later, he played with Public Image Ltd, the band of former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten. Throughout his career, Baker also collaborated with Hawkwind, Masters of Reality (with Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age, among others) and many more.

On behalf of everyone at MetalSucks, we wish Baker’s family, friends and bandmates all the best.