Gordon Waller of '60s Pop Duo Peter & Gordon Dies at 64

BY Jason SchreursPublished Jul 21, 2009

Gordon Waller of the '60s pop duo Peter and Gordon passed away July 16 as a result of cardiovascular disease, according to various media reports.

Waller (right in above photo) had nine top 20 hits with his musical partner Peter Asher, most notably the Paul McCartney-written songs "A World Without Love," which reached No. 1 on the charts, "Nobody I Know" and "I Don't Want to See You Again." McCartney, a close friend of the duo, dated Asher's sister around the time he penned the Peter and Gordon tunes.

Peter and Gordon's other hits included 1965 versions of Del Shannon's "I Go to Pieces" and the Buddy Holly song "True Love Ways," "Lady Godiva" in 1966, and "Knight in Rusty Armour" in 1967.

Part of the so-called British Invasion, Waller and Asher were discovered by an EMI record producer in 1964 and spent four years atop the charts before disbanding in 1968. Waller later released the solo album, And Gordon, in 1972, as well as another solo album, Rebel Rider, just last year. Waller and Asher also did some reunion gigs in recent years and were scheduled to perform more shows in the next few months.

"Gordon remains one of my very favorite singers of all time and I am still so proud of the work that we did together," wrote Asher in a statement. "I am just a harmony guy and Gordon was the heart and soul of our duo. I shall miss him in so many different ways. 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."


Waller, who lived in Connecticut with wife and two daughters from a previous marriage, was 64 years old.

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