Gwar singer Chuck Varga dead at 68

Chuck Varga, founding member and vocalist with the shock-rock heavy metal band Gwar, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 68.

His death was announced by Gwar bass player Casey Orr, who shared that Varga had died peacefully with wife, Bambi, at his side.

"He was one of a kind," Orr noted of the band member who sometimes played the character Sexicutioner.

"As an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and a gentleman. I'm better for having known him and the world is lesser for his leaving. He is most likely being welcomed into Valhalla right now by Brockie and Smooty and all who went before. Raise your glass and tell his tales. Legends never die. Hail Varga! Hail Sexicutioner!"

Varga disclosed his cancer diagnosis in April, with his Gwar bandmates launching a nationwide blood donation campaign in his honour.

Gwar formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984. The band is operated by a rotating group of musicians, artists, and filmmakers.

Varga performed vocals with the band during its 1986 to 1996 breakthrough, returning for regular stints between 2000 and 2022.

In 1993, Gwar was Grammy-nominated for its long-form music video Phallus in Wonderland, losing out on the night to Annie Lennox. Three years later they garnered another Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category for the single S.F.W., losing to Nine Inch Nails.