Who’s Still Alive from the Moody Blues?

Jason Brow October 10, 2:30 pm

The Moody Blues, circa 1971 — Everett Collection

The future of rock and roll changed forever on July 23, 1965. On that day, a group of lads from Birmingham—Denny Laine, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, Clint Warwick and Grame Edge—released The Magnificent Moodies, the debut album from their band, The Moody Blues.

Like a pebble dropped in the waters pictured on the album’s art, The Magnificent Moodies would send ripples through rock history. The LP featured a mix of rhythm and blues covers, including their version of “Go Now” (which topped the UK Singles Chart), as well as originals by Laine and Pinder. The album is quintessential British Beat, the sound that would influence folk rock, garage rock, and psychedelic music in the years to come.

One such band to embrace psychedelia was… The Moody Blues, whose follow-up album, 1967’s Days of Future Passed, saw the fusion of rock and classical music. This blending established the band as pioneers of the “progressive rock” genre, a banner they would wave until the band’s dissolution in 2018. And had the band not taken their first step with The Magnificent Moodies, who knows how prog rock might have turned out?

On the 60th anniversary of The Moody Blues’ debut album, rediscover what happened to the original members and Justin Hayward and John Lodge, members who helped The Moody Blues write their name in the rock and roll history book.

Justin Hayward (78)

Justin Hayward of Moody Blues in 1968 and in 2018

Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Hayward joined The Moody Blues in 1966, replacing Denny Laine on guitar and vocals. Hayward helped elevate the band into prog rock icons, writing songs like “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon.”

He played with the band until its dissolution in 2018. He continues to perform as a solo artist and has an upcoming cruise with many other great artists.

Patrick Moraz (77)

Patrick Moraz joined The Moody Blues in 1978. The keyboardist, who had previously worked with Yes, was with the group until The Moody Blues fired him in 1991. Moraz thought the group had become stagnant, and the rest of the band had grown discontent with his alleged lack of contribution. He ultimately sued the group for $500k over wrongful dismissal. The case went to trial, with the jury ruling in his favor and awarding him $77k. He will be playing ProgStock in New Jersey on October 10. For more info, click here.

In Memoriam

Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images

Denny Laine

It’s Denny Laine’s voice singing “Go Now,” giving The Moody Blues their first bit of chart success. He co-founded the group in 1964, but the guitarist left two years later after the band failed to replicate “Go Now’s success. After playing with the Electric String Band and Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Laine co-founded Wings with Sir Paul McCartney and his then-wife, Linda. He played with Wings from 1971 to 1981 and had an extensive solo career.

Laine contracted COVID-19 in 2022 and underwent numerous surgeries for lung issues. He passed away on December 5, 2023, at the age of 79 due to interstitial lung disease.

Clint Warwick

The original bassist for The Moody Blues also left the band in 1966, around the same time as Denny Laine. He became a carpenter and spent time with his family, according to The Independent. He passed away in 2004 from hepatitis at age 63.

Denny Laine and Clint Warwick in 1965. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Mike Pinder

Pinder stayed with the Moody Blues up until the band’s hiatus in 1974. When the group reformed to record the Octave album, he contributed little, feeling burned out from touring. The band continued without him. Pinder took a consulting role with Atari and released a series of solo works on his One Step label.

Pinder died on April 24, 2024. He was the last of the original Moody Blues members to pass away. He had been suffering from dementia for many years, and his widow announced that he “is now reunited with Denny, Ray, Graeme and Clint.”

Ray Thomas

Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images

Ray Thomas’s work was pivotal in establishing The Moody Blues’ sound in the 1960s and ‘70s, but as a man known for playing the flute and harmonica, his role in the band diminished in the synth-pop era of the ‘80s. Thomas played numerous instruments on the band’s latter releases, but permanently retired in 2002.

Thomas’s health had been declining for a while. He suffered from cerebella ataxia, which affected his balance. He went public with his prostate cancer diagnosis in 2014 and died on January 4, 2018, at the age of 76.

Graeme Edge and Mike Pinter in 1965. Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images

Graeme Edge

Edge was The Moody Blues’ drummer from its beginning to its end in 2018. During the hiatus in 1974, he began to work on his project, The Graeme Edge Band. He rejoined The Moody Blues in ’78. He died at age 80 on November 11, 2021, in his home in Florida. He had been suffering from metastatic cancer.

After his death, Justin Haward posted on The Moody Blues’ website that Graeme’s retirement was the reason the band called it quits. “I knew that without him, it couldn’t be The Moody Blues … he kept the group together throughout all the years because he loved it.”

John Lodge

Chris Ware/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Phil Inglis/Getty Images

Lodge replaced the Moody Blues’ original bassist, Clint Warwick,’ in 1966, and stayed with the group until its end in 2018. His distinctive falsetto became a key component in The Moody Blues’ sound, and his prolific songwriting provided the band with many of their now-beloved tracks.

Lodge continued to perform and record as a solo artist in his later years. His latest album is 2023’s Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn. He died on October 10, 2025 at the age of 82.