Former Kinks keyboardist Ian Gibbons has passed away at age 67.

Kinks singer and co-founder Ray Davies released a statement. “To simply say Ian will be missed would be an understatement,” he said. “When he auditioned for the band, he only played a few chords before I knew he was the right guy to have on keyboard, he seemed to know the right voicing to musically slot in between the other members of the band. And with the Kinks, that took some doing!”

Gibbons had joined the band in 1979.  The keyboardist left in 1989, but rejoined in 1993. He had recently been performing as part of Kast Off Kinks, a band made up of former band members.

Ray Davies described Gibbons as a “brilliant” musician who would “willingly try out the most random musical idea I would throw at him. Being in a band is like being in a family and today it is as though we have lost family member. Right now I’m thinking of his smile, his cheeky chappie sense of humor and generous grin that made you feel it was ok, even though there was an eight hour bus ride ahead after a long show and the air conditioning has broken down.”

Read the full story on Ultimate Classic Rock.