Ranking Roger, the voice of the Beat and General Public, died Tuesday at 56.
According to a statement on the Beat’s website, the singer – whose real name is Roger Charlery – was surrounded by family members.
“He fought & fought & fought, Roger was a fighter,” it read. “Roger’s family would like to thank everyone for their constant support during this tough time. More to follow in the coming days. RIP ROGER!”
Charlery suffered a stroke last August and was reportedly diagnosed with brain tumours and lung cancer.
Among those paying tribute to Charlery on social media was Billy Bragg, who tweeted: “Rest easy, Rude Boy. A tweet on the UB40 account read: “R.I.P Ranking Roger, Big Love UB40.”
In Canada, the Beat was marketed as the English Beat and had moderate success with songs like 1980’s “Mirror in the Bathroom.” As part of General Public, Charlery sang with Dave Wakeling on hits like 1984’s “Tenderness” and 1994’s “I’ll Take You There.”
Charlery recently finished writing, with Daniel Rachel, a memoir titled I Just Can’t Stop It, that is due to be published later this year.