Former Kayak singer and Ayreon contributor, Edward Reekers, has died, aged 68. Reekers had announced in August that he had been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, stating that, "a cure is not an option anymore, only life-prolonging treatment(s)."
His friend and former colleague Arjen Lucassen broke the news on social media, stating, "the voice of Ayroen is not here anymore..."
In his full statement, Lucassen said; "My friend Edward Reekers has lost his battle with cancer. He is not here anymore… it’s so hard to imagine. Of course we all know he was an amazingly talented singer with a golden voice. But more than that, he was an incredibly nice guy! Always positive, and always so excited about music. We missed him so much during the last Ayreon shows. But now… the voice of Ayreon is not here anymore. Lots of warm hugs to his family. And to all of you. Edward lives on in our hearts and minds."
Reekers first joined Dutch prog rockers Kayak in 1978, debuting on the band's sixth studio album, Phantom Of The Night. He subsequently featured on Periscope Life (1980), Merlin (1981) and the 'live in the studio' release Eyewitness (1981). Reekers would return to Kayak in 2003 and again from 2005 to 2015.
Kayak paid tribute to Reekers last night, posting, "It is with deep sadness we have to tell you that Edward Reekers has passed away. His contribution to the band's legacy is impressive. He will be missed. RIP."
In 1995, Reekers featured on Ayreon's debut album, The Final Experiment and would later appear on Actual Fantasy (1996), Into The Electric Castle (1998) and Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer (2000), as well as 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 affair called The Liberty Project with an all-star cast that included Steve Hackett, Lucassen and Damian Wilson.
Away from music Reekers worked as a voice actor, dubbing foreign films into Dutch, including Harry Potter and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. He also featured as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
In his post from August announcing his diagnosis, Reekers paid tribute to the musicians he had worked with and the fans who'd enjoyed his music, saying, "I would like to thank all my friends and fans for their support and enthusiasm during the time I was given to do what I love to do most: making music.
"And all my colleagues who accompanied me on my musical journey: thank you so much. Without you, it wouldn’t have been half as much fun."
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