GWAR front man Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus, found dead at 50

Dave Brockie, the founder and lead singer of darkly satirical heavy metal band GWAR, was found dead Sunday in his Richmond, Va., home.

A police spokeswoman said that foul play is not suspected and that an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Brockie, who was 50, performed as the character Oderus Urungus in the group that used elaborate costumes to create stage personas of alien demon musicians. The band members often referred to themselves as the “Scumdogs of the Universe.”

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“Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I’ve known,” former GWAR bassist Mike Bishop told Richmond’s Style Weekly publication. “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.”

“His penchant for scatological humors belied a lucid wit,” Bishop said. “He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever. A great front man, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice.”

The band formed in Richmond in 1984 and this year is marking its 30th anniversary.

In 2011, the group lost another band member, lead guitarist Cory Smoot, aka Flattus Maximus, who died at 34 of a heart attack caused by coronary heart disease.

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