Advertisement

Pete Shelley death: Musicians including Billie Joe Armstrong and Billy Corgan pay tribute to late Buzzcocks frontman

Clarisse Loughrey
Updated

Tributes are pouring in for Pete Shelley, the leader of the English punk rock band Buzzcocks, who has died at the age of 63.

The singer, songwriter, and guitarist died on Thursday in Estonia, his country of residence, the band’s management told BBC News. Shelley passed away due to a suspected heart attack.

"Saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Shelley," The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan wrote on Instagram. "Like many, I was a fan of the Buzzcocks, and Pete's one-of-a-kind-voice. But what I want to share here is more personal. The Pumpkins opened for The Buzzcocks in our early days; once in Chicago and once in Paris. And what I will always hold dear to my heart is how supportive, gracious, and encouraging Pete and his band were... it's that kind of encouragement that means so much to a young musician."

Director Edgar Wright shared an image of the compilation album Singles Going Steady on Twitter, writing: "This compilation of Buzzcocks singles is one of my favourite albums. It's 48 minutes of pure punk bliss. You couldn't ask for a finer run of 45's. Please give it a spin right now and remember the huge talent in music that was singer and writer Pete Shelley. He will be missed."

"You are truly an inspiration to me, Mike, and Tre," wrote Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. "Singles Goes Steady was a huge record for me. Buzzcocks pretty much invented a style that would influence multiple generations of lonesome hearts and weirdos. Never shy about writing beautiful melodies into loud fast punk. You are the harmony in my head."

Buzzcocks are best known for their 1978 hit “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”, written by Shelley.

The band confirmed their frontman’s death in a tweet on Thursday, writing: “It’s with great sadness that we confirm the death of Pete Shelley, one of the UK’s most influential and prolific songwriters and co-founder of the seminal original punk band Buzzcocks.”

View this post on Instagram

Saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Shelley. Like many, I was a fan of the Buzzcocks, and Pete's one-of-a-kind voice. But what I want to share here is more personal. The Pumpkins opened for The Buzzcocks in our early days; once in Chicago and once in Paris. And what I will always hold dear to my heart is how supportive, gracious, and encouraging Pete and his band were. Especially in those Gish days when many didn't understand our approach or the sound we were after. It's that kind of encouragement that means so much to a young musician. And Pete gave it in spades. God speed to a true punk. -WPC

A post shared by WilliamPatrickCorgan (@williampcorgan) on Dec 6, 2018 at 5:41pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Rest In Peace Pete Shelley . You truly are an inspiration to me, mike and Tre. We covered Ever fallen in love the best we could. Singles going steady was a huge record for me. Buzzcocks pretty much invented a style that would influence multiple generations of lonesome hearts and weirdos. Never shy about writing beautiful melodies into loud fast punk. You are the harmony in my head - Billie Joe

A post shared by Billie Joe Armstrong (@billiejoearmstrong) on Dec 6, 2018 at 1:55pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Pete Shelley RIP Playing shows with the Buzzcocks was one of the highlights of my life. I listened to Singles and Tension as much as any records I’ve owned. Thank you, Pete, for all the great words and music. Condolences to Steve and the boys. Hollow Inside, JA

A post shared by Pearl Jam (@pearljam) on Dec 6, 2018 at 7:38pm PST


Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more