John Tout, the keyboardist whose playing added a crucial component to Renaissance‘s sound during the band’s most creativelyfertile and commercially successful period, has passed away.
The group shared the news on its official Facebook page, posting a message that reads in part, “He was an amazing musician, highly contributing to the unique sound of the band from 1970-1980. He was the quiet (but funny) one in the band, always very caring towards the fans and [a] good friend.”
Tout, whose age was not mentioned in the post, died of lung failure on May 1, while he was in the care of doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
