UB40 star Astro passes away aged 64

UB40 star Astro passes away aged 64

Music fans, and especially reggae lovers, are tonight, Saturday, November 6, mourning the sad loss of one of the founding members of UB40, Astro, who has died aged 64. The chart-topping band’s percussionist and vocalist passed away after suffering a short illness.

The Ali Campbell and Astro Twitter page shows a statement that reads, “We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken to have to tell you that our beloved Astro has today passed away after a very short illness. The world will never be the same without him. We ask you to please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time”.

Astro had been performing in a revamped version of the Birmingham band, alongside Ali Campbell, and Virtue. He departed from the original UB40 back in 2013. Terence ‘Astro’ Wilson is the second original band member to pass away this year. In August, Brian Travers, their sax player died aged 62, after battling with cancer.

UB40 took their instantly-recognizable sound to the top of music charts all over the world. Their debut single, released on August 29, 1980, was the double-A side featuring ‘Food For Thought’, and ‘King’, which reached No4 on the British charts.

‘Signing Off‘, their first album, is a classic in anybody’s collection of reggae tunes. It entered the UK charts on October 2, 1980, where it remained for the next 71 weeks, as reported by thesun.co.uk.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories, and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.