Rock drummer Lee Kerslake died last week after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 73.
Kerslake joined Uriah Heep in 1971 and debuted on the English band’s 1972 album Demons and Wizards. Except for a brief hiatus, he remained with the group until 2007.
Frontman Bernie Shaw paid tribute to Kerslake on the band’s official Facebook page.
“As well as one of the most revered yet underrated drummers in the world, Lee was also one of the main voices in Uriah Heep,” he wrote. “Never dropped a note in all the years I worked with him.
“He was generous to a fault. Always smiling and ready to entertain at the drop of a hat. Many a free drink was had after a show when he would get up and play with a local band at the nearest club we could find, and first up if there was someone with a fishing boat willing to take him out for the day. That was Lee.”
Guitarist Mick Box remembered Kerslake as “one of the kindest men on earth.” He added: “He had a passion for life bar none and was much loved by the fans, as well as anyone who crossed his path!”
Kerslake also played on Ozzy Osbourne’s albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman but was not credited. In 1998 he and bassist Bob Daisley sued Osbourne seeking royalties and songwriting credits. The case was dismissed in 2003.
“It's been 39 years since I've seen Lee but he lives for ever on the records he played on for me,” Osbourne wrote on Facebook.