MOODY BLUES multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas has tragically died just months before his long-awaited induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He had just turned 76 on Dec. 29.

Esoteric and Cherry Red Records confirmed his death this morning, saying Thomas "passed away suddenly at his home in Surrey on Thursday." Thomas revealed, via his personal website, that he'd been diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer in 2013, but no official cause of death was initially mentioned.

 

Thomas wrote or co-wrote more than 25 MOODY BLUES songs, beginning with 'Another Morning' and 'Twilight Time' from 1967's Days of Future Passed, but he will perhaps always be best remembered for his distinctive contributions on flute. He played the instrument on a few early songs during their Denny Laine-led R&B era, but then became an integral part of the MOODY BLUES' groundbreaking shift toward progressive rock thereafter.

Thomas added a key flute solo to their signature hit 'Nights in White Satin,' as Days of Future Passed soared to platinum-selling status in the U.S.

He later confirmed that he and Pinder sang backup vocals on the BEATLES' 'I Am the Walrus,' and that he played harmonica on 'Fool on the Hill,' from Magical Mystery Tour.

In 2002, he decided to retire from the MOODY BLUES.