Dave Brockie, the frontman for metal band Gwar, has died at 50 years of age.
The vocalist and songwriter was best known as his costumed alter-ego Oderus Urungus, a 43 billion year old intergalactic demon warlord from the planet Scumdogia, but also for several music side-projects, including Gwar precursor Death Piggys, X-Cops, and the Dave Brockie Experience.
A statement from Gwar’s manager Jack Flanagan has confirmed the singer’s passing on Sunday 23rd March.
“It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23,2014,” wrote Flanagan on the band’s official website.
“His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.” “My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family…”
The cause of death is currently unknown, with the Gwar manager adding; “my main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.”
Brockie first co-founded the costumed thrash metal outfit back in 1984 and has been the only permanent member in the Gwar entourage across their three decade career, renowned for their over the top stage shows where they sprayed the audience with copious amounts of fake blood and eviscera between their metal riffs.
Gwar’s theatrical live show gained national notoriety in Australia when they visited three weeks ago as part of the Soundwave 2014 tour where part of their blood-soaked stage antics involved Brockie/Oderus Urungus decapitating a mannequin of Tony Abbott and mutilating an effigy of the Queen onstage.
The band’s stage show was attacked by conservative group, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, who were “appalled” by the “extraordinary breach of good behaviour and standards” in an open letter calling for those offended to picket Soundwave and the band.
Affirmed “head-chopper”, Brockie replied in character with a statement of his own. “We were just playing our show in Brisbane and this guy with giant ears wanders out onstage and tells us to go back to Antarctica, so naturally I removed his head from his shoulders. But what was really surprising was that it grew back and I had to chop it off again at Sydney Soundwave.”
Soundwave boss and Big Day Out promoter AJ Maddah offers his words of remorse on twitter over the news of Brockie’s death.
@carlmacca @TheRealOderus Sadly true :( A great loss.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) March 24, 2014
Former Gwar bassist Mike Bishop (aka Beefcake The Mighty) also offered his condolences. “Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I’ve known,” Bishop tells Style Weekly, among the first to report on Brockie’s death.
“He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art,” Bishop says.
“His penchant for scatological humors [sic] belied a lucid wit. He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever! A great frontman, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice.”
(Image: Maria de Vera. Source: Soundwave 2014 Sydney photo gallery)
