Photo: Sven Mandel

UB40 Founding Member Terence ‘Astro’ Wilson: Dead At 64

November 7, 2021

Best known by his stage name, “Astro,”Terence Wilson, a founding member of British reggae band UB40 has passed away after a short illness,

Confirming his death on Saturday, Ali Campbell and Astro’s Twitter account said.“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.”

UB40 was formed in Birmingham, England in the late 1970s, with Wilson a part of the group for more than 30 years during which time recorded such hits as “Red Red Wine” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love.”

In 2013, Wilson left the band to join the breakaway group “UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro” that addressed with social and political issues in their songs, something Wilson claimed to know well.

“I went through the same rigmarole as most black people in the late 70s,” Astro told The Guardian in May. “We found it harder to write love songs than militant lyrics, because it was a lot easier to write about stuff you had witnessed or read about. It seemed natural to us,” he said.

The current version of UB40 also noted Astro’s death on its social media.