Doug Sandom, the Who
[Photo via The Who Official website]

Former the Who drummer Doug Sandom dies at 89

Former drummer for the Who, Doug Sandom has passed away at the age of 89. Sandom played with the band in their early years back when they were actually called the Detours.

According to Consequence of Sound, Sandom was replaced by longtime drummer Keith Moon when the band tried out for Fontana records in 1964. Sandom had been with the band since 1962.

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The Who’s lead guitarist Pete Townshend recently announced the news on the band’s official site.

“Just heard from his son that Doug, drummer with the early Who, passed away yesterday at the age of 89. If you have read my book ‘Who I Am’ you will know how kind Doug was to me, and how clumsily I dealt with his leaving the band to be replaced eventually by Keith Moon. A bricklayer by trade, Doug was an excellent drummer, but was considered by our first record label to be too old for us. It was his age and his wisdom that made him important to me. He never sneered at my aspirations the way some of my peers tended to do (I was a bit of an egoistic handful sometimes). He encouraged me — as did my best friend in those days Richard Barnes. Doug took a while to forgive me, but did so in the end, and although I didn’t see much of him, we remained friends. He would almost certainly have tried to visit with Roger and me at Wembley Stadium this year, and we will both miss seeing him.”

The cause of death is uncertain at this time.

After being a drummer in the Who, Sandom expressed some regret about leaving the band, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

However, despite it all, Sandom still stood by their work and legacy.

“I still think the Who is the best fucking rock ‘n’ roll band in the world,” Sandom said in 2012.

Additionally, to avoid selling his drum kit, Sandom wrote The Who Before The Who in 2014, in which Townshend contributed the forward. 

We are sending our utmost condolences to Sandom’s family, friends and loved ones at this time.

See more: In memoriam: Musicians we lost in 2019

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