Edward Reekers, former vocalist of the cult Dutch progressive rock band Kayak and a musician who lent his vocals to the progressive rock project Ayreon for many years, has died at the age of 68. In August this year, Reekers revealed he was suffering from lung cancer that had metastasized, adding that at this stage “a cure is no longer possible, only treatment that prolongs life”.
His friend and Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen shared the news on social media, writing: “The voice of Ayreon is no longer with us…”
Lucassen went on to write: “My friend Edward Reekers has lost his battle with cancer. He’s no longer with us… it’s hard to wrap your head around. Of course we all know he was an incredibly gifted vocalist who made music golden. But even more than that, he was an unbelievably lovely human being! Always positive and always fired up about music. We missed him dearly at our last Ayreon shows. And now… the voice of Ayreon is no longer with us. Right now I’m sending lots of warmth to his family, and to all of you too. Edward lives on in our hearts and minds.”
Reekers joined the Dutch prog rock band Kayak in 1978 and made his debut on the group’s sixth studio album “Phantom Of The Night”. He then played on the albums “Periscope Life” (1980), “Merlin” (1981) and “Eyewitness” (1981), recorded live in the studio. Reekers returned to Kayak in 2003, and again between 2005 and 2015.
Kayak also said goodbye to Reekers in an official statement: “With deep sadness we announce that Edward Reekers has passed away. His contribution to the band’s legacy is impressive. We will miss him. May he rest in peace.”
In 1995, Reekers took part in Ayreon’s debut “The Final Experiment”, and later also appeared on the albums “Actual Fantasy” (1996), “Into The Electric Castle” (1998) and “Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer” (2000), as well as on the live albums “Ayreon Universe” (2018) and “Electric Castle Live And Other Tales” (2020).
In 2023, Reekers released his fourth solo album (his first in 15 years), a double rock opera titled “The Liberty Project”, featuring star guests including Steve Hackett, Lucassen and Damian Wilson (Arena, ex-Threshold).
