They didn't have any children.Ī Whiter Shade Of Pale was Procol Harum's debut single in 1967 and it stayed at number one for six weeks. He had married Françoise Riedo, a Swiss au pair affectionately known as Franky in 1968 after meeting three years earlier. Without any stage antics or other gimmicks he was invariably the most watchable musician in the show (he played several other instruments in the studio).' 'Gary's voice and piano were the single defining constant of Procol's fifty-year international concert career. Over 13 albums, Procol Harum never sought to replicate it, preferring to forge a restlessly progressive path, committed to looking forward, and making each record a 'unique entertainment'. 'Nor was it characteristic of his own writing. They continued: 'His first single with Procol Harum, 1967's A Whiter Shade of Pale, is widely regarded as defining The Summer of Love, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era. Heyday: The rocker, who was known for singing and co-writing the hit song A Whiter Shade of Pale, passed away on February 19 after being diagnosed with cancer (pictured with the band)

Opera news magazine covers 1967