Squeeze Drummer Gilson Lavis Dies at 74

Gilson Lavis, the longtime drummer for the British rock band Squeeze during its most successful era, has died at the age of 74. Lavis passed away on Tuesday night at his home in Lincolnshire, England, according to an announcement from his longtime collaborator Jools Holland.

Holland, a keyboardist and former Squeeze bandmate, shared the news on social media Thursday. "I'm very sad to report that Gilson Lavis, my dear friend and longstanding drummer, passed away at his home in Lincolnshire last night," Holland wrote. "On behalf of my Orchestra, Squeeze, the many musicians who have worked with and befriended Gilson over the years and all the people he has supported through the AA fellowship, I send our love and sympathy to Nikki and Gilson, his dear wife and son." No cause of death has been disclosed.

Lavis, born David Leslie Gilson Lavis in Bedford, Bedfordshire, on June 27, 1951, built a varied career in music that spanned decades. He began as a cabaret drummer and singer before touring with American icons such as Dolly Parton, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis in the early 1970s. By the mid-1970s, while working as a bricklayer, Lavis responded to a newspaper advertisement that...