Music
A cartoonish looking Tony Abbott joins the Gwar stage at Soundwave. Photo: YouTube
David Brockie, frontman for the satirical extra-terrestrial metal band Gwar, has been found dead at his Virginia home, United States police said. He was 50.
Officers were called to Brockie's Richmond home Sunday evening and found him inside, police said in a statement. Foul play is not suspected and an autopsy will determine the cause of death, it said.
Gwar's manager Jack Flanagan released a statement this morning, confirming ''with a saddened heart'' the death of Brockie.
''My dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of Gwar passed away at approximately 6.50pm (US EST) Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA," Flanagan said.
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"Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.
''My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed."
Gwar's David Brockie as 'Oderus Urungus'.
Former Gwar guitarist Steve Douglas wrote on Facebook: "I have had a few bad days in my life but this one truly ranks right up there.
"Dave Brockie, I do not know what happened to you yet, but I know you are gone and it is hurting very badly!"
Brockie co-founded Gwar, billed on its website as "Earth's only openly extra-terrestrial rock band," in the 1980s with fellow art students at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Grammy-nominated group gained a worldwide cult following for its mix of thrash metal, grotesque costumes and outrageous stage shows.
They recently visited Australia for this year's Soundwave festival, where they continued to shock with fake blood, sprayed from orifices including an enormous fake penis, a gore-encrusted cannon and the decapitated head of a Tony Abbott effigy.
In Melbourne, fans were encouraged not to crowd surf at the festival but when Gwar frontman "Oderus Urungus" pointed his plastic sword towards the crowd all the rules suddenly changed.
Performing as "Oderus Urungus", Brockie wore an elaborate costume of a horned mask, shoulder pads, massive helmets and armor with blades jutting out of it.
Described by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper in 2007 as "the mutant child of early '80s hair music," Gwar's onstage antics often included simulated urination, dismemberment of lifesize puppets and lots of fake blood. It released its latest album last year.
In a profanity-laced television interview produced by this year's Soundwave music festival, Brockie said he was less than sober on stage.
"For me, being wasted is not being wasted. When I'm sober, that's being wasted, literally," he said while in full costume, a bottle in one armored hand.
"They're like, 'Oderus, you don't have to be drunk to perform.' I'm like, 'What the f--- are you talking about?'" he said, laughing.
Brockie called the late Bon Scott of Australian hard rock band AC/DC "my favorite performer in the history of metal. He's the greatest lead singer ever."
Don Drakulich, another founder of Gwar and one of its costume and prop makers, said he knew little about Brockie's death except that his roommate found the body.
"It's very sad, and I'm shocked," said Drakulich, who no longer tours with the band.
- Reuters, with Kate Hennessy
Brockie as Oderus Urungus onstage in 2010. 
 of rubber-costumed  act   was found dead in his , Virginia home late on Sunday. Better known by stage name Oderus Urungus, Brockie was 50.

Founder, singer, leader, and occasional bassist of GWAR, Brockie's career stretches back to 1984. He and fellow  art students formed what they dubbed "Earth's only openly extra-terrestrial rock band", growing famous for satirical and obscene lyrical themes, and live shows featuring the defilement of effigies and plenty of fake blood.

Fellow founding member Don Drakulich, who still makes props and costumes for the rockers, said he was "very sad" and "shocked". He said Brockie's roommate found the corpse. GWAR members changed frequently and the band recovered from the sudden death of guitarist  during a 2011 tour, but the '''' notes "it's hard to envision their saga going further" after Brockie's death.

The band ran with the backstory of crashing to "the most insignificant planet in the universe" 43 million years ago before creating humans by having sex with apes. Becoming encased with ice, the legend ran that upon thawing out in 1984 the members decided to form a band.

Manager Jack Flanagan announced the death via GWAR's website, adding a post-mortem will be conducted. "My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family" he said. Flanagan said another GWAR member found the body.

Brockie said in 2009 "I am one of the blessed people that gets to do what I love to do for a living." GWAR received a  nomination in 1993, with '''' up for Best Longform Music Video.

Fellow Virginia rocker , vocalist for , paid tribute online, writing on  "When someone dies, a lot of the time people will say 'Oh, he was a unique person, really one of a kind, a true original' ... I can't think of ANYONE even remotely like him." 

Blythe also took to Facebook. "Right now, if I were to truly honor Dave in the way HE would do it if it were ME that had died, I would make a completely tasteless joke about his death. But I do not have the stomach for that — Dave would, but not me. He never put much stock in 'limits'."

Ex-GWAR guitarist Steve Douglas said on Facebook "I have had a few bad days in my life but this one truly ranks right up there. ... you are gone and it is hurting very badly!" "I wish it was a joke" said another ex-member, Chris Bopst. "Everyone is in shock."

Former bassist  paid tribute in an interview with ''''. "Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I've known," he said. "He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art."


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