Co-founder & bassist of legendary progressive rock band Yes, has died at the age of 67. In May 2015, Squire announced a hiatus from Yes after he was diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia. The English musician, songwriter and singer, was also a backing vocalist for Yes and was the only member to appear on each of their 21 studio albums, released from 1969 to 2014.
He was widely regarded as the dominant bass guitarist among the early seventies British progressive rock bands, influencing peers and later generations of bassists with his incisive sound and elaborately contoured, melodic bass lines. His name was also associated with his trademark instrument, the Rickenbacker 4001 electric bass, which was introduced in England in 1964. He released one solo album, Fish Out of Water, in 1975. Squire was born in Kingsbury, a suburb of north west London, in England. His father was a cab driver, and his mother a housewife. Yes released their first record in 1969, and though the band have had many personnel changes over the years, they have continued to record and tour for over 40 years. Squire co-wrote much of the band’s music with guitarist Steve Howe (with singer Jon Anderson chipping in occasionally, as well). In addition, Squire and Howe would supply backing vocals in harmony with Anderson, which can be heard on a multitude of Yes songs.
Chris married his first wife Nikki who he met in 1970 and with whom he would form the band Esquire in 1983. Their family included Carmen Squire (Chris’s stepdaughter), Chandrika and Camille Squire. The couple divorced after fifteen years of marriage. hey have a son, Cameron. The two have since divorced. Squire married actress Melissa Morgan on 8 May 1993. She played Brittany Norman on The Young and The Restless and later returned to the daytime program as Agnes Sorensen. Scotland became Squire’s third wife. She gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Xilan, on 19 December 2008. They resided in the Chelsea neighbourhood of London, and later in Phoenix, Arizona.
Christopher “Chris” Russell Edward Squire (4 March 1948 – 28 June 2015)