Yes’ Chris Squire To Undergo Treatment For Leukemia

Yes announced the news day, saying Squire had been diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia (AEL), an uncommon form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).  Squire will receive treatment during the next few months.

Substituting for Squire will be former Yes-man Billy Sherwood who played guitar and keyboards for the band from the mid to late ‘90s.

Squire and Jon Anderson founded Yes in the late 1960s.  Health issues forced Anderson to take a break from the band in 2008 – a move that led to the band replacing him with Canadian singer Benoit David. A respiratory illness forced David’s departure in 2012.  Yes’ current frontman/vocalist is Jon Davison.

Yes will continue with its concert plans for 2015, beginning in August with a U.S. tour with Toto.  The band will embark on its “Cruise to the Edge” with Marillion and other bands in November.

“This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that Yes will have performed live without me,” Squire said.  “But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same Yes experience that our fans have come to expect over the years.”

Squire spoke with Pollstar a couple of times in recent years.  In his 2013 interview, the bassist talked about that year’s Yes tour in which the band played three of its classic albums.  In 2012 Squire and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett talked with Pollstar about their joint project called Squackett.

For more Yes information, please click here for the band’s website.