UB40 Founder Member, "Red Red Wine" Hitmaker Terence Wilson Aka Astro Dies

• According to UB40 Terence Wilson, better known by his stage name Astro, has died aged 64 after "a short illness"
• Astro left UB40 in 2013 and went on to perform with breakaway group UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro, which had played some concerts this year
• The original band broke through in the early 1980s with their unique take on British reggae and found success with hits like Red Red Wine and Can't Help Falling In Love

Former vocalist and founding member of British reggae group UB40 Terence Wilson aka Astro, has died.

Red Red Wine hitmaker is dead

Astro death was confirmed by his former band on Saturday, November 6.

According to the band, the Red Red wine hitmaker died at 64 after "a short illness".

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Astro left UB40 in 2013 and went on to perform with breakaway group UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro, which had played some concerts this year and was due to go on tour in 2022.

"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," his current band said.

UB40's pop-reggae cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine" propelled them to fame, with the band going on to sell more than 100 million records.

They also held the record shared with Madness for most weeks spent in the UK singles chart in the 1980s.

Hailing from the British Midlands' city of Birmingham, the group rode a wave of youthful discontent against the economic and political status quo. Their name referred to a form provided to people claiming unemployment benefits.

This year, drummer Jimmy Brown told the Guardian that the group had even been under surveillance by British intelligence.

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"MI5 were tapping our phones, watching our houses, all sorts," he said. "We weren't planning the revolution, but if the revolution happened, we knew what side we were going to be on," Brown said.

International rock legend Jim Steinman dies at 83: #RIPMusicalGenious

Earlier, Briefly News reported that Legendary rock music star, songwriter and producer Jim Steinman is dead.

Briefly News has learnt that the star, who wrote hit songs for bands such as Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Céline Dion and Air Supply, died at 83. According to TMZ, the celebrated musician died on Monday, April 19 in Connecticut.

Source: Briefly News