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Cream bassist Jack Bruce dies

Jack Bruce, singer, songwriter and bassist for legendary 1960s rock band Cream, died Saturday at 71.

Bruce's family confirmed the death of the Scottish musician on his official website and Facebook page.

"The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts."



Considered one of the greatest rock trios of all time, Cream was by Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker in 1966. The band produced such hits as "Sunshine of Your Love," "White Room," "Crossroads" and "Strange Brew," many of which Bruce wrote and sang. He also helped come up with the memorable guitar riff in

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The band members' infighting and drug use became almost as well-known as their musical talent, and the group parted ways in 1968.

"Jack felt that he had strayed too far from his ideals and wanted to rediscover his musical and social roots," according to his official biography.
Born to musical parents in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1943, Bruce played in various dance bands and jazz groups before joining the Graham Bond Organization in 1962, where he met Baker. He later joined John Mayall's Blues Breakers and met guitarist Eric Clapton, leading to the formation of Cream.