Dee Palmer of Jethro Tull has passed away at age 88 after battling a long illness. Dee Palmer was a composer and keyboardist known for her work with the classic rock band Jethro Tull. Jethro Tull released a statement on instagram in memoriam for Palmer.
Born in London’s Hendon district in 1937, Palmer developed an interest in music while serving in the British military, where she began playing the clarinet. She later enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music, earning the Boosey and Hawkes Prize for woodwind performance during her studies. However, she eventually shifted her focus from the clarinet to keyboards and composition, a decision that earned her the Eric Coates Prize.
Palmer made her debut as a composer and arranger on Bert Jansch’s 1967 album Nicola. A year later, producer Terry Ellis recruited her to create horn and string arrangements for Jethro Tull’s song “Move On Alone,” quickly becoming an essential creative force within Jethro Tull. Her orchestral arrangements played a major role in shaping the band’s sound, on the Jethro Tull 1971 album Aqualung. From then on she had become a regular touring member, performing her arrangements on keyboards during live shows and remained with Jethro Tull until 1980.
She had created orchestral interpretations of music by renowned rock acts including Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Queen, and The Beatles, cementing her reputation as one of the most respected arrangers in the world of classical and rock music.
In 2018, after more than five decades in the music industry, Palmer released her first solo album, Through Darkened Glass, featuring original songs inspired by her life and experiences. In her later years, she continued performing with the Martin Barre Band and remained active creatively, including plans to revisit The Water’s Edge, a ballet score she co-wrote in 1979 for the Scottish Ballet.
This isn’t the first Jethro Tull member to unfortunately pass away. In 2025, Mick Abrahams passed away at age 82 and was the first guitarist of Jethro Tull. That same year the rock band released new album, Curious Ruminant, released in March.
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