Last week, it was announced that Brian John Duffy, better known as Jet Black, drummer of new-wave rock band The Stranglers, has died after “years of ill health” at the age of 84.
Photo: Mark Holloway/Redferns via NME
A statement on The Stranglers’ official Twitter account confirmed he had passed away “peacefully” on Tuesday December 6 at his country home in Wales.
Black was a founding member of The Stranglers. The band formed in Guildford in 1974, later achieving 23 top 40 singles and 19 top 40 albums, according to the official UK charts. They also won an Ivor Novello award.
The Stranglers’ most popular songs include “Peaches“, “No More Heroes“, “Golden Brown“, “Midnight Summer Dream” and “Skin Deep“.
The band’s bassist, Jean-Jacques Burnel, said: “The welcoming committee has doubled. After years of ill health Jet has finally been released. He was a force of nature. An inspiration. The Stranglers would not have been if it wasn’t for him. The most erudite of men. A rebel with many causes.”
Sil Willcox, the band’s manager, said: “He was the Jet force that launched The Stranglers. He was the Jet force that powered the band’s determination to get heard and get noticed. Jet Black was the real deal. Astute in business, a talented drummer and an obsessive perfectionist. These are only a few of the talents of the man whom I was privileged to have as my mentor and my dear friend. I will cherish the times we planned, pranked, ate, drank and laughed on so many great nights together.”
Jet Black retired from performing live with The Stranglers in 2015, due to debilitating respiratory health issues.
