Gordon Waller of Peter & Gordon dies at 64
Last Updated: Sunday, July 19, 2009 | 10:25 AM ET
CBC News
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Gordon Waller died of cardiac arrest on Friday. (Courtesy of Utopia Artists)Gordon Waller, who shot to fame as part of the 1960s duo Peter & Gordon, has died after suffering cardiac arrest.
Waller passed away Friday at a hospital near his home in Ledyard, Conn. He was 64.
The duo, with Peter Asher, had nine Top 40 hit singles between 1964 and 1968.
A World Without Love (by Lennon and McCartney) reached No. 1 in the U.S. in 1964. Three other major hits — Nobody I Know, I Don't Want To See You Again and Woman — were written for them by Paul McCartney.
Asher was the older brother of McCartney's then girlfriend, Jane.
Waller, born in Braemar, Scotland, met Asher when the two were teenagers at the prestigious Westminster School in London, England. Established in the 12th century, the school sits on the grounds of Westminster Abbey and counts the likes of Christopher Wren, Ben Jonson and A.A. Milne among its alumni.
Asher, who called Waller his best friend for more than 50 years, posted his reaction on the pair's MySpace page: "The idea that I shall never get to sing those songs with him again, that I shall never again be able to get annoyed when he interrupts me on stage or to laugh at his unpredictable sense of humour or even to admire his newest model train or his latest gardening effort is an unthinkable change in my life with which I have not even begun to come to terms."
After the pair disbanded in 1968, Waller embarked on a solo career and managed one record, and Gordon. He also appeared in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Waller released a solo album Plays the Beatles in 2007 with a new version of Woman, and one year later he released Rebel Rider. His solo career would never match the success of his Peter & Gordon days.
The two reunited in 2005 by playing a tribute concert for Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five. After that, Peter & Gordon began performing around the world. They had their first full concert in 38 years in North America at a Beatles convention in New York in March 2006.
The duo had their last big performance in Los Angeles in August 2008 on the 40th anniversary of their last performance in the 1960s. Some 17,000 fans showed up at the Santa Monica Pier to enjoy their music. Peter & Gordon were also joined on stage by longtime friend Joan Baez.
