Beloved rock vocalist Angela McCluskey has died, according to a statement on her social media accounts. She was 64. Per Variety, the Wild Colonials member’s death on Thursday came “after being in a coma following emergency surgery for an arterial tear.”
“We are devastated to tell you that our beloved Angela McCluskey has left us to be with her fellow angels,” the death announcement read. “Never did anyone live life more fully, love more generously, sing more….well, just….more. Angela sang just as she breathed. Her life was a song, and she was music. She will be missed more than any of us can say, but our love for her and her love for her beloved Paul, her siblings Gerard, Alan and Muriel, and all her family and friends will live forever. Please light a candle for our darling.”
The statement also included a quote from the Wild Colonials song “Spark“: “The spark has gone but the love lives on.”
McCluskey’s loved ones have launched a GoFundMe to benefit her widower/Wild Colonials bandmate, Paul Cantelon. Friends and fans have raised $29,520 as of press time.
Among those who paid tribute to McCluskey was Shirley Manson, according to The Daily Mail. Via an Instagram Story post, the Garbage frontwoman wrote, “Darling….I’m brokenhearted. A Scottish treasure. A world class talent. A wildly irreverent, generous loving soul who practiced kindness at all times in all the dark places. I love you. My sincere condolences to everyone who loves you. Especially to your handsome prince Paul.”
In addition to her solo work and material recorded with Wild Colonials, the late rockstar was also known for her collaborations with Télépopmusik, Kendrick Lamar, Robbie Robertson, Big Gigantic, Paul Oakenfold and Azealia Banks.