Dave Brockie, AKA GWAR’s chief monster Oderus Urungus, has passed away. He was 50.

As Style Weekly report, Brockie was found dead in Richmond by a roommate between 3pm and 7pm. A founder member of the band, Brockie had served as lead singer for the last 30 years. His on-stage alias was Oderus Urungus – a 43 billion-year-old exile from the planet Scumdogia.

Formed in 1984, the Virginia-based metal outfit remain best known for their absurd, high-budget monster costumes and ridiculous stage aliases (see: Johnny Slutman, Flattus Maximus and Hans Sphincter). Although often regarded as novelty entertainers rather than credible metallers, the band has built up a major following with their ultra-bombastic thrash metal and schlocky shcok-metal. Over their career, they’ve weathered 13 albums and stacks of line-up changes; their last album was 2013’s Battle Maximus.

Brockie’s former GWAR confrere Mike Bishop has paid tribute to the singer in US magazine Style Weekly:

“Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I’ve known. He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art. His penchant for scatological humours belied a lucid wit. He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever! A great frontman, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice.”

Other Virginia-based metal acts to confirm the news and play tribute to the singer include Lamb of God and Municipal Waste. ‘Horror of Yig’, taken from GWAR’s best-known album, 1990’s Scumdogs Of The Universe, is below.

Update: GWAR’s manager Jack Flanagan has put out the following statement on Brockie’s death:

It is with a saddened heart that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.

My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.