(CelebrityAccess) — English reggae and pop band UB40 announced that founding member Terence Wilson, better known to his fans as Astro, died on Saturday. 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 world will never be the same without him,” the band said in a statement posted to their social media.
In a subsequent statement, fellow founding member Ali Campbell added: “My best friend, my oppo, my brother. There are no words to describe the pain of this loss. I will make sure you are never forgotten. Walk Good Ast, Love Al.”
Wilson was one of the founding members of UB40, joining the band at its inception in Birmingham, England in 1978. A rapper, and toaster, Wilson left the group in 2013, and joined Campbell, who had previously stepped back from UB40 over friction with management, and the two, along with Mickey Virtue, launched the splinter group UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro.
Astro provided key vocals on the band’s 1983 breakout hit “Red Red Wine” from their album Labour of Love.
UB40 performing Red Red Wine At the Montreux Jazz Fest in 2002.
