“We are completely devastated and heartbroken to have to tell you that our beloved Astro passed away today due to a very short illness,” said his current band.
The former vocalist and founding member of the British reggae group UB40 – which rose to fame in the 1980s with songs like “Red Red Wine” – has died at the age of 64 after a rapid illness, said on Saturday (11/06/2021) his current group.
Terence Wilson, better known by his stage name Astro , performed with UB40 until 2013, when he broke up with the group and created UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro . “We are completely devastated and heartbroken to have to tell you that our beloved Astro passed away today due to a very short illness,” his current band said on Twitter .
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. The world will never be the same without him.
We ask you to please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time. pic.twitter.com/GRDjtApyzy
— ALI CAMPBELL (@UB40) November 6, 2021
His old group confirmed the death after “a short illness.” The British reggae band rose to fame with their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine” in 1983.
RIP ASTRO
We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness.
Our sincere condolences to his familyUB40 pic.twitter.com/6huxc1wN8k
— UB40 (@UB40OFFICIAL) November 6, 2021
With over a hundred million albums sold, UB40 shares with another reggae group, Madness , the record for weeks on the British charts in the 1980s.
Hailing from the city of Birmingham, the group surfed a wave of youthful discontent against the political and economic situation. His name, in fact, is the code of a form given to people who applied for unemployment benefits.