Veteran electronic music pioneer Gary Numan has disclosed that his younger brother, John Webb, passed away unexpectedly at 60 years old, following a fatal heart attack in Leeds during the early hours of Saturday morning.
The tragic incident occurred mere hours after the siblings had spent Friday evening together at Mr Numan’s performance celebrating the 45th anniversary of his landmark album Telekon at Leeds O2 Academy.
The 67-year-old musician shared the devastating news through social media on Monday, describing the past 48 hours as the most “difficult” period he has ever endured.
Mr Webb suffered the cardiac event whilst walking back to his vehicle after departing from his brother’s tour bus, where they had been conversing until approximately 12:20 am.
Gary Numan at the Houston leg of his North American Spring Tour
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RPRusso Photography
In an emotional social media post, Mr Numan recounted how the brothers had engaged in wide-ranging discussions about literature, family members, their father, and shared passions including steam locomotives and aviation.
“We talked about authors, music, the loves of our lives, children, our Dad, steam trains, aeroplanes, accidents, friends, enemies, just as much as we could squeeze in in the time we had,” the musician wrote.
The pair continued their reunion into the early morning, with Mr Numan noting they were “enjoying being together again as we see each other so rarely these days.”
After embracing at the tour bus entrance, the music pioneer enquired about the distance to Mr Webb’s vehicle, expressing his habitual concern about his brother navigating streets after dark.
John Webb and Gary Numan as children
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A passerby discovered Webb collapsed on the rain-soaked pavement and summoned emergency services, though medical intervention proved unsuccessful.
Audiences at Birmingham’s O2 Academy witnessed Numan’s visible distress on Saturday evening when he halted his rendition of ‘Please Push No More’ and began weeping openly.
His wife Gemma O’Neill immediately went onto the stage to provide comfort as the performer struggled to continue.
Numan informed the concerned crowd that he had been given “the worst news ever” that morning, though he did not elaborate on the specifics at that time.
Supportive fans expressed their worry across social media platforms, with one attendee describing the singer as “so upset” whilst praising his professionalism for continuing the performance.
“So sad to hear about Gary Numan’s brother John. Privileged to have met him,” one fan penned on X once the tragic news broke, while another commented: “RIP John Webb, brother of Gary Numan. Very sad news to hear and read about this evening.”
“Very sad. Another sudden death.” declared another.
The emotional scenes continued the following evening at Bristol’s Beacon Hall, where Mr Numan again struggled during his set, though he fulfilled his performance commitment despite cancelling the pre-show meet and greet session.
Despite his profound grief, Numan has resolved to proceed with his scheduled performances following encouragement from his father and Mr Webb’s widow, who both insisted that John would have wanted the shows to continue.
“I have no capacity at the moment to make decisions of any kind,” the musician admitted in his statement, describing himself as “drifting, broken, shell shocked, just watching one foot fall in front of the other.”
The performer acknowledged experiencing waves of overwhelming emotion that “screams and then whispers” as he attempts to process what he termed “the worst moment of my life”.
Mr Numan confessed his uncertainty about how to proceed beyond persevering with “the only thing I know how to do, the thing John was always so proud of”.
Gary Numan shared a tribute to his late brother on social media
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The remaining dates of Numan’s Telekon anniversary tour will now serve as a memorial to Webb, who harboured deep affection for the 1980 chart-topping release.
“He loved Telekon. He was only 15 when I made it,” Numan revealed, explaining that the tour’s purpose had fundamentally shifted from commemorating the album to honouring his sibling’s life.
“So this tour is no longer a celebration of an album, it’s a tribute to John, my brother, the best brother a man could ever have,” he declared.
Mr Webb had previously collaborated with his brother during his brother’s early career, providing keyboard accompaniment, and pursued his own musical endeavors under the moniker Donovan Silver whilst also performing bagpipes with the British Airwaves Pipe Band alongside his aviation career.