Greg Gilbert, who fronted the British indie rock act Delays, has died of bowel cancer at the age of 44.
Greg Gilbert was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016. In his final years, he documented his illness in poetry and visual art on social media. He had studied at Winchester Art School prior to forming Delays, and drew nearly every day following his diagnosis. His work was exhibited at Southampton City Art Gallery, and select poems were published by Carol Ann Duffy and featured in her Laureate’s Choice series.
In August, Greg announced he had stopped treatment and was only using pain relief. “I still believe in magic, the power of a good gesture and laughter. I want to fill the days ahead with all of these and so much more,” he wrote on Twitter.
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Greg’s death was confirmed by his brother and bandmate Aaron on Instagram yesterday (September 3). “This afternoon at 2:22; we walked my brother back home to somewhere out there in the ether,” he wrote. “Greg died surrounded in the endless love that us & all of you have given him on this journey.”
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“He was my brother & my best friend, & we did everything together, & it was the greatest honour to be with him as he took one last gentle breath before leaving us,” the tribute continued. “I could have sworn we were limitless… But now that ‘is’ has become ‘was’, I need to be mindful that there is still so much majesty out there in the universe, & so much to be thankful for despite the tidal wave of sadness washing over me right now.”
Formed in Southampton, Delays were a mainstay in the early 00s indie boom. The band released their debut EP under the name Idoru in 2001. In 2003, they changed their name to Delays and signed to Rough Trade Records, which released their debut record, Faded Seaside Glamour, in 2004.
