The cream drummer and co-founder Ginger Baker is seriously ill at the hospital

Ginger Baker, the brilliant and mercurial drummer and co-founder of Cream, is seriously ill at the hospital.

His family shared the news via Twitter last night, September 25th. There is no more information on his condition, but Baker, who turned 80 last month, has had a series of health problems in recent years, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and osteoarthritis. In July 2016, he had an open heart surgery. he also took a bad fall.

But such is Baker's pugilistic character, his legend, these seemed to be trifles and the tweet of the Baker family was initially greeted with disbelief.

Baker has amassed a tremendous legacy. His early years were rooted in jazz, he learned from Phil Seamen and played with the Graham Bond Organization alongside Jack Bruce. Baker, Bruce and Eric Clapton formed Cream with 1966, Baker's protean style reinforcing the group's power.

Two years later, everything was over. Baker and Clapton formed Blind Faith alongside bassist Ric Grech of Steve Winwood from Family and Traffic on keyboards and vocals. An eponymous album later and Blind Faith was finished.

Volatility is always a constant at Baker. Superstar drummer and fiery and anxious talent, he looked for new projects. There was jazz fusion with Ginger Bakers Air Force. He has also opened a studio in Lagos, Nigeria, traveled all over Africa and incorporated the rhythms of the continent to his game.

He collaborated with Fela Kuti and brought Afrobeat into rock in the mid 70's with the Baker Gurvitz Army. In 2005, Cream meets for a series of shows at Madison Square Garden in New York and at Albert Hall in London.

Baker, meanwhile, has continued to tour with his quartet Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion as recently as 2015.