Alan White, our beloved husband, dad, and grandpa, passed away at the age of 72 at his Seattle-area home on May 26, 2022, after a brief illness.
Throughout his life and six-decade career, Alan was many things to many people: a certified rock star to fans around the world; band mate to a select few, and gentleman and friend to all who met him.
Alan was born in Pelton, County Durham, England on June 14, 1949. He began piano lessons at the age of six, began playing the drums at age twelve, and has been performing publicly since the age of thirteen.
Throughout the 1960s, Alan honed his craft with a variety of bands, including The Downbeats, The Gamblers, Billy Fury, Alan Price Big Band, Bell and Arc, Terry Reid, Happy Magazine (later called Griffin), and Balls with Trevor Burton (The Move) and Denny Laine (Wings).
In 1968, Alan joined Ginger Baker’s Airforce, a new group that was put together by the former drummer of Cream and other noted musicians from England’s music scene including Steve Winwood, formerly of Traffic.
In 1969, Alan received what he thought at the time to be a prank phone call, but it was John Lennon calling to ask Alan to join the Plastic Ono Band. The next day Alan found himself learning songs in the back of an airliner headed to Toronto with Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, and Klaus Voormann. The ensuing album, Live Peace in Toronto, sold millions of copies, peaking at number 10 on the charts.
Alan’s association with Lennon continued, recording singles like ‘Instant Karma’ and the subsequent landmark album, Imagine, with Alan providing drums for the title song, ‘Jealous Guy’, and ‘How Do You Sleep at Night’. Alan’s work with Lennon led to an introduction to George Harrison, who asked Alan to perform on the album All Things Must Pass, including the single, ‘My Sweet Lord’, released in 1970. Alan subsequently worked with many artists for the Apple label, including Billy Preston, Rosetta Hightower, and Doris Troy.
Alan joined YES on July 27, 1972, and with only three days to learn the music, YES opened their US tour before 15,000 fans in Dallas, Texas on July 30, 1972. Alan has been with YES ever since, and with the passing of founding member, Chris Squire, in June 2015, Alan is the longest continuously serving band member.
Alan is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and May White (née Thrower), his sister-in-law, Mindi Hall, and many loyal furry companions. He is survived by his wife of forty years (May 15, 1982) Rogena “Gigi” (née Walberg), his children, Jesse (Emily), their two children JJ and Ellie, and Cassi (Kela), and sister-in-law Andrea Holmqvist (Robert).
Gigi, Jesse, and Cassi
Seattle, WA

Imagine being hired by Yes to replace Bill Bruford after the release of their magnum opus, Close To The Edge. Your task would be to learn a lot of intricate material from that album and its two groundbreaking predecessors. Now give yourself a week to do that before the start of a world tour. That’s the situation Alan White jumped into at the end of 1972. In the 4-1/2 decades since then, he has been the timekeeper for every iteration of Yes, appearing on more than 15 studio albums starting with the often mystifying but ultimately rewarding Tales From Topographic Oceans. His drumming attack is more muscular & aggressive than Bruford’s but he’s just as creative as his predecessor; pushing their straightforward material ahead with power & ferocity while adding dynamic flourishes & syncopation to their more progressive compositions. By 1980 I still only knew Yes’ radio hits but with the release of Drama, their heaviest album to date (and a divisive one among fans due to the replacement of Anderson & Wakeman with Buggles Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes), I took notice of White’s distinctive drumming for the first time. Both the propulsive “Tempus Fugit” and the somewhat funky “Does It Really Happen?” were (and still are) standouts, and he cemented his reputation with 1983’s 90125, their mega-successful album that re-established them as a commercial force. Songs like “Changes” and Grammy-winning instrumental “Cinema” were showcases for White, and in subsequent years he’s brought his chops & creativity to everything they’ve done while managing to anchor their simpler radio-friendly songs without sounding like a drum machine. Prior to joining Yes, White played with John Lennon (on his Imagine album and “Instant Karma” single) and appeared on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. He also released one very good…if idiosyncratic…solo album (1976’s Ramshackled), formed the aborted XYZ with Chris Squire & Jimmy Page and was a founding member of Circa with sometime Yes-man Billy Sherwood, but it’s his work with Yes that’s made him a drumming legend. I’ve seen him a few times and always enjoyed watching how much fun he has while he’s playing.