Fred Marsden, drummer of Gerry and the Pacemakers died of cancer at the age of 66 on December 9th. Like the Beatles, the band came from Liverpool and were also managed by Brian Epstein. Gerry and the Pacemakers rivaled the Beatles early in their career, playing the same areas of Hamburg, Germany and Liverpool, England.
Gerry and the Pacemakers became the first from Liverpool to have a number one single with How Do You Do It? in 1963. They had other hits but by 1965 their popularity was declining. The group disbanded in 1967. Fred Marsden put his drums away and went to work for British Telecom and later established the Pacemaker driving school.
Marsden is survived by his wife, Margaret, and two children.
