John Waddington, the founding guitarist of post-punk band The Pop Group, died Tuesday. He was 63.
The band announced Waddington’s death Wednesday on Twitter, though a cause was not mentioned.
“An influential musician, and an integral member of the group, John contributed to some of the band’s most iconic recordings,” the band tweeted.
“His energy and friendship will be sorely missed, and his unforgettable musicianship will always be remembered,” they added.
The Post has contacted a representative for The Pop Group for comment.
Fellow bandmate Gareth Sager, 62, also tweeted a vintage picture with Waddington on Wednesday.
Formed in Bristol, England, in 1977, The Pop Group released their first album, “Y,” two years later, and it included the single “She Is Beyond Good and Evil.”
Waddington played on that album, as well as the band’s 1980 release, “For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?” which was home to “We Are All Prostitutes.”
The Pop Group fused punk, reggae, funk and free jazz with radical politics to become one of the most influential groups in the post-punk era.
The group split in 1981, and Waddington later joined Maximum Joy for their 1982 debut album “Station MXJY.”
He also made musical appearances with Judy Nylon and on On-U Sound-affiliated projects including New Age Steppers and African Head Charge.
Members Sager, Bruce Smith and frontman Mark Stewart — the latter who died in April at age 62 — reunited the band in 2010 and would release two more studio albums: “Citizen Zombie” and “Honeymoon on Mars.”
They embarked on tour dates in the U.S., Japan, Australia, and Europe, including two sets at Glastonbury.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
