Greg Lake: King Crimson guitarist and prog rock pioneer dies aged 69

'I lost my best friend to a long and stubborn battle with cancer,' says his manager

Lake achieved solo success with his hit single 'I Believe In Father Christmas' which reached number two on the UK singles chart in the mid-70s (Reuters)

Greg Lake, a pioneer of progressive rock, has died at the age of 69.

The musician, who fronted both King Crimson and Emerson Lake and Palmer, is best known for songs such as "In the Court of the Crimson King" and "21st Century Schizoid Man".

Lake achieved solo success with his hit single "I Believe In Father Christmas" which reached number two on the UK singles chart in the mid-70s and has since become a Christmas classic - although it was not originally intended as a Christmas song.

The musician's manager Stewart Young announced the news of his death via Facebook.

“Yesterday, December 7th, I lost my best friend to a long and stubborn battle with cancer,” he wrote. “Greg Lake will stay in my heart forever, as he has always been. His family would be grateful for privacy during this time of their grief. Many thanks, Stewart Young”.

The news comes nine months after Lake’s band-mate and keyboardist Keith Emerson passed away. US coroners said Emerson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Fellow musicians and fans have paid tribute to the late singer.

"Very sad about Greg Lake. I had the privilege of working with him on several projects. His great talent will be sorely missed by all," Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes wrote on Twitter. "Another genius has passed away. 2016 has truly been an annus horribilis in musical history."

He then went on to form prog rock supergroup Emerson Lake and Palmer, contributing everything from acoustic guitar to electric guitar, bass, lyrics, vocals and production work to the band. The trio went on to record nine studio albums between 1970 and 1994.