Brian Travers, the songwriter, saxophonist, and founding member of Birmingham reggae band UB40, died on August 22nd. He was 62.

Travers died at his home in Moseley, surrounded by his family, after a “long and heroic battle with cancer.” His passing was confirmed in a statement shared to UB40’s social media.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our comrade, brother, founding UB40 member and musical legend Brian David Travers,” the band wrote.  “Brian passed away yesterday evening after a long and heroic battle with cancer.

“Our thoughts are with Brian’s wife, Lesley, his daughter, Lisa, and son, Jamie. We are all devastated by this news and ask that you respect the family’s need for privacy at this time.”

The band did not reveal what kind of cancer Travers was battling. In March 2019, he missed the band’s anniversary tour following a seizure at home that revealed two tumors on his brain. Following this discovery, Travers underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy during the pandemic.

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Travers formed UB40 in 1978 alongside musicians from a number of schools across Birmingham. The band gleaned their name from a form issued to people claiming the dole at the time.

“We had just signed on and somebody said ‘UB40’ and we all instantly knew that was the name of the band,” Travers told The Telegraph. “Thank God for the dole. We got fed, it paid the rent and it enabled us to concentrate on developing our careers. We commandeered a cellar and started rehearsing every day, 9 till 5. … Our first experiences of playing an instrument started together, and we’d humiliate each other over mistakes. But we were very serious about our music.”

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