EMF have announced the death of founding member and keyboardist Derry Brownson at 55. The English alt-rock band shared the news on social media on August 14, writing that they had heard of his passing the night before: "Nothing will ever be the same again without our band mate and friend, fly high brother Derry."
Born Derran Brownson in 1971, he founded EMF in Gloucestershire's Forest of Dean music scene alongside bassist Zac Foley, drummer Marc Decloedt, DJ Milf and singer James Atkin, before the group added guitarist and principal songwriter Ian Dench. EMF's debut single, "Unbelievable," topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number three in the UK in 1990, and their 1991 debut album Schubert Dip also reached number three in the UK, with follow-up singles "I Believe" and "Children."
The band's history since has run through several breaks and reunions. Albums Stigma (1992) and Cha Cha (1995) followed before their first hiatus, and they reunited briefly in 2001 for a London gig and a greatest hits album. Foley died of an overdose in 2002, after which the band played a handful of shows before splitting again. A second reunion began in late 2007 with new bassist Richard March, and one-off gigs followed in 2012 and 2016 with bassist Stevey Marsh.
Brownson had been undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, according to the BBC, which limited how often he could perform with the band in recent years. He still rejoined EMF onstage as recently as this past spring, during a North American tour, and the band released a career-spanning box set in 2020 followed by two further studio albums, Go Go Sapiens in 2022 and The Beauty And The Chaos in 2024. They had recently said they were wrapping up work on a new 14-song album over the summer.
Tributes followed from across the music world. Ash frontman Tim Wheeler wrote, "So sorry for your loss, rest in peace Derry, sending love," while singer-songwriter Kirk Brandon posted that "the world is less for one man." EMF's history is filed under MusicSuey's pop and rock coverage.
The facts
- Derry Brownson died at 55
- He was EMF's founding keyboardist, born Derran Brownson in 1971
- EMF announced his death on August 14
- He had been treated for a brain tumour
- EMF's debut single Unbelievable topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990
- Their 1991 debut album Schubert Dip reached number three in the UK
- Brownson rejoined EMF onstage as recently as this past spring
- EMF had been working on a new 14-song album
How this checks out
Confirmed
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Independent outlets reported it separately, enough to treat it as confirmed.
Cited sources 3
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