UB40’s Ali Campbell has described how he’s still “reeling” from the death last year of his bandmate and friend of more than 40 years Astro, and revealed he’s not scared of dying, saying: “With my best friends dying around me it kind of makes me less fearful.”
Ali Campbell, right, with his bandmate Astro who died unexpectedly last November after suffering a cardiac arrest (Image: DAILY MIRROR)
Ali Campbell was devastated when he learned of the death of bandmate Astro.
The “brother” who had played with him in UB40 for more than 40 years and who had just finished recording an album with him, died suddenly last November, and Campbell’s world caved in.
The frontman had been friends with the rapper, trumpeter and percussionist since the group formed in 1978.
He says of Astro’s death at 64: “It knocked me for six because it was so unexpected and I’m still reeling from it to be honest. Because he was in a great place. The last time I saw him he said, ‘I’ll see you next Friday, kid’ and I said, ‘Alright Ast.’ And that was it.
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UB40 in 1983, with Astro on the far left and Ali the fifth to the left ( Image: Getty Images)
Astro, real name Terence Wilson, had been suffering from a virus when he collapsed in his home with a fatal cardiac arrest two weeks after finishing the band’s latest album.
Ali, 63, adds: “I’m just happy that we got the chance to be in Jamaica where we did four tracks together. It was nice to spend 11 days with my brother in a place we both loved. He was really happy with the album and his input.
“I didn’t appreciate how special that time was until afterwards. I give thanks for that. As I do that his death was very quick and sudden. He didn’t know anything about it.
“We did a memorial tour for him earlier this year and you really felt the love and respect for him. He was a great man.”
The Brummie reggae band’s new album, Unprecedented, is filled with poignant songs which have become even more heartrending with Astro’s death. Like the cover of E17’s Stay Another Day, and Mellow, which contains the lyric “we all know that life’s too short and sadly time cannot be bought”.
Astro’s death came three months after another UB40 founding member, saxophonist Brian Travers, lost a long battle with cancer, aged 62. I ask Ali if losing such close friends has made him question his own mortality?
Ali performing in Toronto with UB40 (Image: Toronto Star via Getty Images)
He replies: “I spent all my adult life with Brian and Astro and it does make your mind focus on what’s important. You do question your own mortality.
“I’ve never been scared of dying and I’m not scared now. With my best friends dying around me it kind of makes me less fearful. I’m not too worried because I know my mates have done it. But I do constantly wake up and think that every day above ground is a good day.
“That’s why it’s important to carry on touring. We’ve just played before 70,000 people in the Hague and the reaction to our songs was amazing.