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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Vicki Newman

Ian McDonald dead: Founding member of Foreigner and King Crimson dies at 75

Foreigner and King Crimson rocker Ian McDonald has died.

The co-founding member of the era-defining groups was 75 when he died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, his representative has said.

A cause of death has not yet been disclosed, but Ian's representative said he was "surrounded by his family" when he died at his home in New York City on February 9.

The musician will be fondly remembered as part of the original King Crimson line up.

The prog band formed in Dorset in 1967 with Ian, a multi-instrumentalist, acting as the primary composer.

The band rose to fame after supporting the Rolling Stones in London's Hyde Park in 1969, going on to release their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, that same year.

Roy Wood (The Move), Steve Howe (Tomorrow, Yes, Asia), Ian McDonald (King Crimson, Foreigner) and Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick performing at a Bosnian Benefit concert at Irving Plaza in New York City on November 21, 1995 (Redferns)

The album received critical acclaim at the time, and is now considered a classic.

The saxophone part written by Ian for song 21st Century Schizoid Man went on to be sampled by Kanye West on his song Power.

Ian once said he was shocked that the album had held up for as long as it had.

He told Ultimate Classic Rock: "When we made it – and I was basically at the forefront of the production – I wanted to make sure everything that went into the record would bear repeated listening and hopefully stand the test of time."

(L-R) Guitarist Robert Fripp, drummer Michael Giles, singer and guitarist Greg Lake, multi-instrumental Ian McDonald and lyricist Peter Sinfield which consisted of the first lineup of the English rock band King Crimson in 1969 (Michael Ochs Archives)

After the band went their separate ways, Ian went on to form Foreigner in 1976 alongside British guitarist Mick Jones and US singer Lou Gramm.

Ian was on the band's first three albums before he was sacked in 1980.

He once told Big Bang magazine of it: "I wouldn’t have left. I loved the group, it was not my decision."

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