King Crimson And Foreigner Co-Founder Ian McDonald Passed Away At 75

The multi-instrumentalist of King Crimson and Foreigner Ian McDonald recently passed away at the age of 75. Being active in the music scene since 1968, he most recently partook in the off-Broadway productions.

Ian McDonald is best known as a rock session musician. Although his main instrument was the saxophone, he also played the keyboard and guitar during recording sessions. He founded the band King Crimson which harbored a fusion of genres, including classical music, jazz, folk, and heavy metal. The Who’s Pete Townshend called their debut album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’ an ‘uncanny masterpiece.’

King Crimson strongly influenced bands like Yes and Genesis during the early ’70s progressive rock movement. While continuing his ventures with King Crimson, he joined Foreigner on the side as another project. He played guitar, keyboard, and woodwinds for them for three albums, the 1977 ‘Foreigner,’ 1978 ‘Double Vision,’ and 1979 ‘Head Games.’

In 2011, he ventured off to a more theatrical project, taking part in composing for off-Broadway Shakespeare plays such as ‘Julius Caesar,’ ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona,’ ‘Hamlet,’ ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream,’ ‘King Lear,’ ‘The Taming of the Shrew,’ and ‘Measure for Measure.’ These productions and creations proved the musician’s talent, ranging from rock and roll stage performances to theatrical projects.

McDonald’s way of merging different sounds together has been an inspiration in the rock and roll world. However, unfortunately, the musician recently passed away in his home in New York. The announcement was that he died peacefully in his bed, surrounded by his family, but the reason for his death was not disclosed. The media announced his death in the headlines and noted that he contributed to some of the best-selling albums between 1969 and 1979.

Modern-day musician, Kanye West had sampled McDonald’s song ’21st Century Schizoid Man’ in his 2010 single ‘Power’ and pointed out the beautiful sound of his saxophone. It seems like even though he saddened his fans with his death, his legacy will survive through his timeless music.