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Pete Shelley, the front man for the legendary punk-rock group the Buzzcocks, has died at the age of 63. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack, according to Pitchfork.com.
His death was reported by the BBC and confirmed by a tweet from the band Thursday afternoon.
“It’s with great sadness that we confirm the death of Pete Shelley, one of the UK’s most influential and prolific songwriters and co-founder of the seminal original punk band Buzzcocks,” the tweet reads.
It's with great sadness that we confirm the death of Pete Shelley, one of the UK's most influential and prolific songwriters and co-founder of the seminal original punk band Buzzcocks.
— Buzzcocks (@Buzzcocks) December 6, 2018
Shelley reportedly was in Estonia, where he’d been living, at the time of his death.
Shelley, born Peter Campbell McNeish, will be remembered as one of the founding members of the Buzzcocks, one of the most influential bands in punk rock history.
The U.K. band got its start in the mid-1970s in the Manchester area, famously making its live debut as the opening act for the Sex Pistols.
The Buzzcocks found early success with a string of singles, many of which are still considered among the best the genre ever produced. The band’s top songs included “Orgasm Addict,” ” What Do I Get?” and “Ever Fallen in Love with Someone (You Shouldn’t’ve).”
Those songs and others were collected in the compilation “Singles Going Steady,” which, nearly 40 years after its release in 1979, still stands as glowing testament to Shelley’s prowess as a punk rock vocalist.
“Pete’s music has inspired generations of musicians over a career that spanned five decades and with his band and as a solo artist, he was held in the highest regard by the music industry and by his fans around the world,” the Buzzcocks tweeted.
Shelley also released five solo albums after the Buzzcocks broke up in 1980s. His 1981 single “Homosapien,” the title track off his second solo effort, courted controversy after the BBC initially banned the song because of lyrics that referred to gay sex.
Shelley joined the re-grouped band in the 1989, and the group had remained active, releasing five albums and booking concerts into 2019.
