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Love's Arthur Lee Dies Of Leukemia


August 04, 2006, 10:10 AM ET

Mark Sutherland, London

Arthur Lee, the singer and guitarist for psychedelic rock pioneers Love, has
died at the age of 61. Lee died yesterday (Aug. 3) at the Methodist
University Hospital in his hometown of Memphis after battling leukemia.

His manager, Mark Linn, told Reuters, "His death comes as a shock to me
because Arthur had the uncanny ability to bounce back from everything, and
leukemia was no exception. He was confident that he would be back on stage
by the fall."

Lee formed Love in Los Angeles in 1965 and recorded three albums with the
group's original lineup, including 1968's psychedelic classic "Forever
Changes," frequently voted one of the greatest albums of all time.

But the group disbanded soon after "Forever Changes" and Lee struggled to
find success as a solo artist. He formed several subsequent lineups of Love
over the years but never quite recaptured the magic of his early recordings,
when the band was the leading light of a Los Angeles scene that included the
Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Doors.

However, Love's early material proved perennially influential, with acts
from Led Zeppelin to Echo and the Bunnymen citing Lee as an inspiration.


Famously unpredictable off stage, Lee served six years in a California jail
for firing a pistol into the air in 1995. On his release, he put together a
new version of Love and toured extensively, often playing "Forever Changes"
from start to finish.

Lee was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia earlier this year and
underwent bone marrow transplant surgery in May. Several benefit concerts
had been held to help him with his medical bills, with former Led Zeppelin
frontman Robert Plant headlining the latest at New York's Beacon Theater in
June.

Lee is survived by his wife, Diane.