(Newser)
– His name may not be familiar, but his band and music will be familiar to anyone he knows in the 1980s. Brian Travers, a founding member of UB40, has died at the age of 62 at home in the UK after battling brain cancer, according to RTE.
- Great successes: UB40 is best known for hits like “Red Wine” and “I Can’t Avoid Falling in Love.”
- Sustainable: Travers played the saxophone in the group, which still exists and has listed multiple major hits from the 40s in the UK over the years. Travers’ last performance with the group occurred in 2019, before his illness made it impossible to continue, according to the New York Post. His wife and two children survive her.
- “Devastated”: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague, brother, founding member of the UB40 and music legend, Brian David Travers,” the group announced. “We are all devastated by this news and ask you to respect the need for family privacy at this time.”
- This name: Travers and some of his friends formed UB40 in Birmingham, England, in 1978. A Telegraph The retrospective years ago noted that the band’s name came from the name on the unemployment form filled out by people in the UK at the time, including the band members.
(Read more obituary stories.)