Foreign Affairs

Ginger Baker, Drummer For British Rock Group Cream, Dies At 80

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Cream drummer Ginger Baker died Sunday morning in a hospital in England, his family said.

Baker teamed up with guitarist virtuoso Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce in 1966 to form Cream, a British super rock group with hits such as “White Room” and “Strange Brew.” He had a long history of abusing heroin, which is a common story for many rock legends who hit their stride during the Vietnam era.

His family confirmed Baker’s death on the rocker’s Twitter profile.

We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning. Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks.

— Ginger Baker (@GingerBDrums) October 6, 2019

Baker, 80 at the time of his death, claimed to have quit heroin nearly 30 times in his life, The New York Times reported. He explained much of his fight with alcohol and drugs in his 2009 autobiography, “Hellraiser.” 

“In 1983-84, I formed the Ginger Baker Trio with guitarist John Simms and bassist Ian Macdonald and we did a tour that included Malta, Spain and Germany; but I can’t remember anything about it due to the fact that I was drinking so heavily,” he wrote in one section of the book.

Baker’s death comes after singer Eddie Money died at 70 years old on Sept. 13. Money, a legendary American singer-saxophonist, died after suffering from numerous health problems. He was known for 1980s hits such as “Take Me Home Tonight,” “Two Tickets To Paradise” and “Baby Hold On.”