Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Greg Lake has died at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer.

The news was confirmed on Lake’s official Twitter account by Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s longtime manager Stewart Young.

The statement reads: “Yesterday, December 7th, I lost my best friend to a long and stubborn battle with cancer.

“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.”

Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes also reacted to the news, saying: “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.

“Another genius has passed away. 2016 has truly been an annus horribilis in musical history.”

Lake was born on November 10, 1947, and was a member of the first King Crimson lineup, appearing on their 1969 debut album In The Court Of The Crimson King and second record In The Wake Of Poseidon.

After striking up a friendship with The Nice’s keyboardist Keith Emerson, the pair subsequently teamed up and recruited Carl Palmer to form prog supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The influential trio would go on to release nine studio albums between 1970 and 1994.

The news comes after Lake’s bandmate Keith Emerson died earlier this year as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.