Music Legend, 67, Breaks Down on Stage After Learning His Brother Had Died

Gary Numan, the former lead singer of new wave band Tubeway Army, shared heartbreaking news with fans this week after revealing that his brother, John, passed away suddenly over the weekend.

The 67-year-old musician opened up about the loss on Instagram and called the last two days “the hardest of my life.”

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Fans first grew concerned on November 15 during his show at the O2 Academy Birmingham. While performing “Please Push No More,” Numan became visibly emotional and his wife, Gemma O’Neil, came out to comfort him, according to an article published by The Mirror. He told the crowd that he had received “the worst news ever” earlier that morning and promised to share more once he had time to process everything.

On Monday, November 17, he returned to Instagram with a painful update. Alongside two photos of him and John, one from their childhood and one taken as adults, Numan revealed that his brother died in the early hours of Saturday morning in Leeds at the age of 60.

In his tribute, the “Are Friends Electric” singer wrote about how John had been at his Telekon show the night before and the two had spent hours catching up. They talked before and after the concert, swapping stories and laughing the way siblings do when they do not get to see each other as often as they would like.

Numan described walking his brother out to the tour bus afterward and giving him a hug before John headed toward his car. He also admitted he always worried about him walking alone late at night, but John assured him it was not far.

“Sadly, he never made it to his car, betrayed by his own heart,” he wrote.

Numan shared that it will stay with him forever that they drove off not knowing John had collapsed only yards away. A passerby spotted him and called for help, but it was too late.

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“This is not a tribute to John, I can barely think straight enough to find the words for this let alone a fitting and deserving tribute to someone I loved more than the world, those words will come in time,” Numan continued. “This is to explain why I’m struggling.”

No further details have been revealed as of this time.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.