After weeks in limbo, original Yes guitarist Peter Banks is finally cremated

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Peter Banks, after an impressive, fan-driven campaign to raise funds, has been cremated in a private ceremony at north London’s Golders Green Crematorium.

Banks, 65, was guitarist on the legendary progressive-rock group Yes’ initial two albums.

[MARCH 24, 2013 UPDATE: Manager George Mizer is planning a celebration of the life and legacy of Peter Banks, after a lengthy struggle to complete the original Yes guitarist’s final arrangements.]

His body, however, remained at a morgue for weeks after an apparent heart attack on March 7, 2013, when Mizer said Banks’ ex-wife initially refused to claim the remains — reportedly over fears that she’d have to come up with the funds to settle the estate.

The guitarist’s long-time manager George Mizer stepped in, calling on friends, fans and others to donate toward final arrangements, in the hopes that Cecilia Quino would then release his body. Mizer also began offering several classic Banks releases through eBay, in an effort to continue raising funds.

Once that effort gained steam, Quino did in fact sign the release, and plans moved forward for cremation.

Tributes, meanwhile, continued to pour in. Banks’ former band Yes also set up a Facebook page for fans to share memories.

After his time with Yes, Banks later co-founded Flash before launching a solo career with his well-respected 1973 debut. More recently, he had been involved in a series of projects with producer Billy Sherwood for Cleopatra Records. Banks was reportedly at work on a new Flash concert album when he didn’t appear for scheduled time in the studio.

Golders Green, which remains the oldest crematorium in London after opening in 1902, has handled arrangements for music stars like Keith Moon, Marc Bolan and Ronnie Scott — as well as well-known historical figures like Sigmund Freud, T.S. Eliot, Bram Stoker, H.G. Wells, Neville Chamberlain, Henry James and even Peter Sellers.

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