By Shehnaz Khan, BBC News, West Midlands
BBC
Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, frontman of 2-Tone band The Selecter, has died.
In a post on X, a spokesperson for the Coventry band announced the vocalist had died after a short illness.
“The world has lost a 2-Tone original, a talented musician and an absolute gentlemen,” the post said.
The Selecter, which also featured lead singer Pauline Black OBE and drummer Charley ‘Aitch’ Bembridge, was formed in 1979.
The band’s debut album Too Much Pressure was released a year later, before they went on to release five top 40 singles in the UK.
Black posted on her Facebook page to say she was “too devastated to say anything coherent at the moment” but shared a message from Hendrickson’s family.
In it, they said their “dearly beloved Gappa” died during the early hours in Coventry, the city “where he came to fame”.
With the hit Too Much Pressure, he bought a captivating angst and frustration as he described the trials and tribulations of the working man, they added.
“Gappa was actively performing with the group until he was diagnosed with cancer last year”, their statement said.
“Even then, he fought his way back from ill health to join Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra as a guest artist for their autumn/winter tour 2023.
“He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.”
The family said funeral arrangements would be made in due course.
Coventry’s music scene sprang up in the 1970s with bands such as The Selecter and The Specials playing a central part in its growth.
