UB 40 Founding Member ‘Astro’ Passes away after a Brief Illness

One of the prominent members of the popular British reggae band UB 40 ‘Astro’ passed away after a very “short illness.” He was 64. 

The news was confirmed on Ali Campbell and Astro’s twitter account. 

The tweet read, “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.”

The current UB40 lineup also tweeted, “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 family.”

‘Astro’ also known as Terence Wilson was a founding member of the UB 40 group from 1970s to 2013. The band was formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. 

He served as the toaster of the group delivering rap style vocals to the band’s reggae music. He was a back-up vocalist on all 18 UB 40’s studio albums. 

In 2013 he quit the original group and teamed up with Ali Campbell and keyboardist Mickey Virtue who had also previously quit the band. 

 Ali and Astro performed live in various UK tours. They performed in numerous countries across the world such as North America, South America, South Africa, Dubai, Australia and New Zealand.