(CNN) -- Gwar lead singer Dave Brockie died Sunday, his manager said Monday. Brockie was 50.
"His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, Virginia," Gwar manager Jack Flanagan said in a statement on the group's website.
An autopsy will be done to determine why he died, Flanagan said.
His heavy metal band formed in 1984, billing itself as "Earth's only openly extra-terrestrial rock band." Brockie performed as Gwar's frontman under the persona of "Oderus Urungus."
The band was based on a mythology of an "elite group of chaos warriors" who "ravaged the galaxy" until they were "banished to the most insignificant planet in the universe ... the seething mud ball known as Earth."
"My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family," Flanagan said.
"More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed."
People we've lost in 2014
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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