Moody Blues singer John Lodge dies, aged 82

Birmingham-born John Lodge had been married to his wife, Kirsten, since 1968

The Moody Blues vocalist John Lodge has died "suddenly and unexpectedly", aged 82, his family have confirmed.

The bass player and "massive-hearted man" joined the band in 1966 with fellow singer Justin Hayward, following the departure of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick.

Birmingham-born Lodge played on songs such as Nights In White Satin, Question and Isn't Life Strange.

The family said their "darling husband", father, grandfather, father-in-law and brother "peacefully slipped away surrounded by his loved ones and the sounds of The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly".

Lodge featured on some of The Moody Blues' best-known work including the psychedelic album Days Of Future Passed (1967), and its follow-up, In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968), which saw the band move towards further experimentation.

He also featured on the albums On The Threshold Of A Dream, To Our Children's Children's Children, A Question Of Balance, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and Seventh Sojourn, which saw the band move into full scale progressive rock.

Lodge also featured on 1977's Octave album, which saw the group embrace a more pop-oriented sound and continued to make records with the band until their final studio album December, a collection of Christmas songs released in 2003.

Band members Mike Pinder, John Lodge, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas and Justin Hayward were pictured in 1969

The family said it was "with the deepest sadness" that they had to announce the musician had been "suddenly and unexpectedly taken from us".

"As anyone who knew this massive-hearted man knows, it was his enduring love of his wife, Kirsten, and his family, that was the most important thing to him, followed by his passion for music, and his faith."

Lodge spoke on a number of occasions about being an Evangelical Christian, saying it helped him to avoid the excesses of rock and roll.

In their statement, the family said: "We will forever miss his love, smile, kindness, and his absolute and never-ending support.

"We are heartbroken, but will walk forwards into peace surrounded by the love he had for each of us.

"As John would always say at the end of the show, thank you for keeping the faith."

Lodge was "never happier than being on stage", the family said

Lodge was born in Erdington, Birmingham, and attended Birches Green Junior School, Central Grammar School and the Birmingham College Of Advanced Technology.

He had been married to his Kirsten since September 1968, who he had two children with.

The family said he was "never happier than being on stage" and "adored performing with his band and son-in-law, Jon, and being able to continue sharing this music with his fans".

It gave him "even more joy to be able to work with his daughter Emily and son Kristian", they added.

The former was referred to on The Moody Blues song Emily's Song, from the album Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.

The group continued to perform live until 2018, the same year the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.