Ginger Baker, legendary Cream drummer, passes away at 80

Ginger Baker, the iconic drummer and co-founder of rock band Cream, died on Sunday at the age of 80. The news of Baker's demise was announced on his official Twitter account.

"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," the tweet read. The cause of death is not known yet.

Last month, Baker's family announced he was critically ill in hospital, but no further details of his illness were disclosed, reported BBC. He suffered from a number of health issues in recent years.

The musician underwent open heart surgery in 2016 and was forced to cancel a tour with his band Air Force after being diagnosed with "serious heart problems". Baker co-founded Cream in 1966 with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce.

The group released four albums before splitting two years later. He, then, formed the short-lived band Blind Faith with Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. He launched the band Air Force in 1970 and has released a number of solo LPs, including his most recent, "Why?" in 2014.

Baker was credited as number three on Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time. The documentary, "Beware of Mr Baker", documented the life of the drummer, who was considered a temperamental and argumentative figure on the music scene.

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