News broke early this morning that iconic Asia singer and bassist John Wetton had passed away at age 67.
Wetton's death came just three weeks after the singer announced he would sit out the band's winter tour with Journey in order to undergo more treatment. Wetton vowed to return to the stage this year, even after having a 2.2-pound tumor removed from his abdomen as recently as 2015.
Wetton was a founding member of the supergroup Asia in 1981, after previous stints with King Crimson, Roxy Music and Uriah Heep.
Wetton's death came as a blow his contemporaries, many of whom took to Twitter to express their appreciation of Wetton's friendship and contributions to music.
“It was such a joy to call John Wetton my friend," said Q104.3's Ken Dashow. "He was funny, intelligent and immensely passionate about music. Proud of his sobriety and family, he truly enjoyed making music and playing, something you could feel in the audience if you ever saw Asia. In the last 6 months, we’ve lost Chris Squire, Greg Lake, and now John Wetton. Hey, Heaven: How many Prog bass players do you need up there? Must be one HELLUVA jam!”
Wetton's former Asia bandmates Carl Palmer and Geoffrey Downes were among the first to publicly share their grief.
Then other tributes appeared from the likes of Neal Schon, Bryan Adams, Steve Hackett, Steve Lukather and others.
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