Influential ska musician and drummer for iconic UK act The Beat, Everett Morton, has sadly passed away at the age of 71.
The news was confirmed on social media this weekend by his bandmates.
“It is with great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Everett Morton, a beautiful and talented man,” they wrote.
“His family are naturally grieving. Please respect their privacy. RIP Gaffah.”
His cause of death has not been disclosed.
The Beat, who are better known here in Australia as The British Beat, pioneered the UK ska revival in the late 1970’s, touring with the likes of David Bowie, The Clash, The Police, Pretenders, R.E.M.and Talking Heads.
Although The Beat’s main fan base was in the UK, the band was also popular here, earning plenty of support from triple j and iconic music TV show Countdown.
The band’s debut album, 1980’s I Just Can’t Stop It, went gold in the UK and gave them a bunch of top 10 singles, including ‘Hands Off…She’s Mine’ and ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’.
Morton was a co-founding member of the band.
RIP.
It is with great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Everett Morton, a beautiful and talented man. His family are naturally grieving. Please respect their privacy❤️ RIP GAFFAH! pic.twitter.com/WOe4XWT18u
— The Beat (@TheBeat) October 8, 2021
