The Chameleons drummer John Lever has passed away.
Lever was a member of the Manchester post-punk band from 1981 to their break-up in 1987, playing on their first three albums. He was also part of the band’s line-up when they reformed in 2000, until they split up again three years later.
The Chameleons’ singer/bassist Mark Burgess announced the news on Facebook, writing that Lever “died this morning following a short period of illness.” Burgess continued: “We want to offer our sincere and deepest sympathy to John’s mother, his sister and his two children at this terrible time. Obviously I’m shocked at the news and consequently I’ll be offline for a while.”
Read Burgess’ post in full below:
I'm deeply sad to report that this afternoon I got the news that John Lever died this morning following a short period…
Posted by Mark Burgess on Monday, March 13, 2017
As well as his work with The Chameleons, Lever also performed with Burgess in the Sun and the Moon and ChameleonsVox. He was also in the Red-Sided Garter Snakes with Chameleons guitarist Dave Fielding.
“We were ignored by the press, ignored by the radio, by the clubs, the other bands – even though we were selling out US tours,” Lever previously told NME.
Watch The Chameleons perform ‘Up The Down Escalator’ beneath: