George Tickner, co-founder and original guitarist of Journey, died at 76. The news was confirmed Thursday by Neal Schon, the band's co-founding member.
"Journey Junkies, I have some very sad news. George Tickner, Journey's original rhythm guitarist and songwriting contributor on their first three albums, has passed away. He was 76 years old," Schon, 69, wrote on Facebook.
"Godspeed, George… thank you for the music. We will be paying tribute to you on this page indefinitely," Schon added. "Our condolences to his family and friends, and to all past and present band members. So heartbreaking. I think we need to do a group hug, JJ's."
Tickner was originally a member of the psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch before forming Journey with Schon and bassist Ross Valory in San Francisco in 1973, according to the New York Post.
After the release of Journey's self-titled debut album in 1975, Tickner left the band to pursue a career in medicine. He secured a full scholarship at Stanford Medical School and while studying, he pursued music as a hobby, writing songs, and occasionally performing.
In January 2005, Tickner reunited with Journey members to accept a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Grammy-nominated rock band went on to sell over 100 million albums, and its popular anthem "Don't Stop Believin" has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Journey had 25 songs, including "Open Arms," "Who's Crying Now," and "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," that reached the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, the album "Journey's Greatest Hits" spent 600 weeks on the Billboard 200, joining the ranks of Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" and Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Legend."
Earlier this year, Journey embarked on its "Freedom Tour" across the U.S. accompanied by the band Toto as the supporting act.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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