Cream Bassist Jack Bruce Dead At 71

Bassist Jack Bruce, who played with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in the influential rock trio Cream, has died at the age of 71.

Bruce's family confirmed his passing via Facebook, Rolling Stone notes. "It is with great sadness that we, Jack's family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all round legend," the family wrote. "The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our heart."

"He died today at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family," the musician's publicist added. According to the Press Association, Bruce passed as a result of liver disease.

Bruce sang on some of Cream's biggest hits like "White Room" and "Sunshine of Your Love." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Clapton and Baker in 1993, which marked the band's first reunion since they split in 1968. The trio got together one more time in 2005 to play shows at London's Royal Albert Hall and New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The artist went solo following the dissolution of Cream and put out 14 albums, his most recent being March's Silver Rails. "I quite like to just enjoy my life. I'm thrilled to make this album. I put my heart and soul into it, and I'm very pleased with the way it came out," Bruce told RS after the album's release.

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters summed it up best in a tribute to the band for Rolling Stone in the magazine's 100 Greatest Artists list. "Then there's Jack Bruce — probably the most musically gifted bass player who's ever been."

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Jack Bruce, Cream, Dead, Obituaries, Eric Clapton