The Pop Group's Mark Stewart dies at the age of 62

The Pop Group’s Mark Stewart dies at the age of 62 as his bandmates pay tribute to the ‘confident’ singer

Mark Stewart, the founding member and frontman of The Pop Group, has died at the age of 62 and heartfelt tributes have flooded in for the iconic singer.

The post-punk pioneer died in the early hours of Friday, according to a statement released by his record label Mute Records.

He was described as a ‘dear friend’ and a ‘creative force of nature’ while his bandmates and fellow musicians rushed to pay tribute to him.

Announcing the sad news, a statement from Mute read: ‘Knowing Mark, working with him, laughing with him and thinking with him was like nothing else.

‘His hugely confident and dominating presence was coupled with a sensitive, warm, creative, curious, intelligent and hilarious nature – traits that were often hidden upon first meeting this towering tour de force.

Sad news: Mark Stewart, founding member and frontman of The Pop Group, has died at the age of 62 and heartfelt tributes have flooded in for the singer

Musician: The artist founded rock band The Pop Group in 1977 as a teenager in Bristol, along with John Waddington, Simon Underwood, Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith

‘He was always, vocally, on the side of the oppressed, and did all he could to ensure people were treated correctly.

‘He questioned every single thing that was said and, in his political beliefs and in support of others, Mark was not just looking out for the underdog, he was intent that everyone got a voice, everyone got a chance. Oppression is the enemy.’

‘The world was changed because of Mark Stewart, it will never be the same without him,’ it concluded. 

His cause of death has not been confirmed and Mark’s family have requested privacy at the difficult time.

The frontman founded rock band The Pop Group in 1977 as a teenager in Bristol, along with his friends John Waddington and Simon Underwood. 

Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith later joined the group to complete the line-up and the band became known for rejecting conventional authority in their political music.

Mark’s bandmate Gareth has paid tribute to the ‘amazing’ musician while producers Daniel Miller and Adrian Sherwood also shared heartfelt words.

‘Mark was the most amazing mind of my generation, RIP,’ guitarist Gareth wrote.

Loss: The post-punk pioneer (pictured in February 2016) died in the early hours of Friday, according to a statement released by his record label Mute Records

Band: Mark founded The Pop Group in 1977 as a teenager in Bristol, with John Waddington and Simon Underwood, while Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith later joined the group

Adrian, with whom Mark collaborated with on the 1983 album Learning To Cope With Cowardice, described him as ‘the biggest musical influence on my life’.

‘Thank you my brother. You were the biggest musical influence in my life and our extended family will miss you so so much. Love forever,’ he said.

Mute’s head Daniel added: ‘I’ve known Mark as a friend and a fellow traveller for over 40 years, since he was the lead singer of The Pop Group. I have so many wonderful memories of him – some bizarre, some outrageous, but always inspiring and somehow for a reason.

‘His musical influence has been much greater than is often acknowledged. He was always encouraging young artists, especially those local to him in Bristol – many have gone on to become global stars.

‘His warmth and kindness as a friend has always been something very important to me. We had so many laughs together, and he had so much creative energy. 

‘The last time I saw Mark was a few months ago in Bristol, performing an improvised set with Lee Ranaldo. 

‘He was nothing but hilarious, his piece was basically a stand-up routine, and after the show we spent many hours putting the world to rights, it’s a wonderful memory, I will miss him greatly.

‘Mark, I can’t imagine you being anything other than restless but I hope you find your very special peace.’

The Pop Group was inspired by dub and reggae and became an era-defining post-punk band after releasing their debut album Y in 1979.

Tributes: He was described as a ‘dear friend’ and a ‘creative force of nature’ with a ‘sensitive nature’ and his bandmates and fellow musicians have rushed to pay tribute to him

The Pop Group disbanded after a final performance at a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) rally in 1980.

Political activist Mark then went on to work closely with CND and launched a successful solo career, which lasted the next three decades.

In 2010, The Pop Group reformed for a series of live performances, and recorded two studio albums.

Mark’s last performance with the band was in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral at the invitation of Terry Hall for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.

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