British musician and UB40 reggae former member Terence’ Astro’ Wilson died at the age of 64, according to the BBC.
“We have heard tonight the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better known as Astro, has passed away after a short illness. Our sincere condolences to his family,” said Astra’s current group on their Twitter account.
After the news of Astro’s death broke, BBC Radio West Midlands played the UB40 track Sing Our Own Song as a tribute – with presenter Natalie Graham calling his death “very, very sad”.
“Astro really was a wonderful and an incredible human being, and obviously the legacy of the music that we still get to enjoy from the likes of UB40 is something very, very special,” she said.
The Birmingham-based group – named after the then government’s unemployment benefit form – sold more than 70 million records and had three UK number one hits.
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.
In total, UB40 have recorded 39 UK top 40 singles and 28 top 40 albums, with Astro singing lead vocals on the hit Rat In Mi Kitchen, which reached number 12 in 1987.
