Astro, a founding member of British reggae band UB40, has died “after a very short illness,” according to the Ali Campbell and Astro UB40 Twitter account. He was 64.
“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 account tweeted on Saturday. “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’s real name was Terence Wilson.
Another account, @UB40Official, tweeted the following: “RIP ASTRO We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness. Our sincere condolences to his family.”
You can see both tweets at the bottom of this story. We’ll also explain the two UB40s thing down below.
Brian Travers, another founding member of UB40, died in August after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 62.
UB40, which has sold more than 70 million records worldwide, was Grammy-nominated four times for Best Reggae Album. Their hit singles include “Red, Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” (UB40 was known for putting a reggae spin on a whole lot of cover songs.)
The original UB40 was formed in the late 1970s. Frontman Ali Campbell left in 2008, followed shortly thereafter by keyboardist Mickey Virtue. Campbell was replaced on vocals by his brother, Duncan Campbell.
Astro left the first iteration of the band in 2013 to start another version of UB40 with Ali Campbell and Virtue. That left five co-founding members, including Travers, in the original lineup.
