Gary Numan's brother, John, passed away on Nov. 15. Despite the heartbreaking news, he still went out to perform at the Birmingham 02 academy in Birmingham, England, later that night. During the concert, he became visibly emotional, leading his wife, Gemmer O'Neil, to console him on the stage.
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Numan then explained his sadness to the crowd, labelling it as the "worst news ever." Two days later, on Nov. 17, the "Please Push No More" singer posted a heartfelt message on Instagram. Not only was he informing his fans of his loss, and the circumstances surrounding his passing.
"My brother John died suddenly in the early hours of Saturday morning in Leeds, he was just 60 years old," Numan wrote. "...I hugged him at the door of our tour bus, I think it was about 12:20am, asked him how far he had to walk to get to his car...Sadly, he never made it to his car, betrayed by his own heart. It will haunt me forever that we may have driven off not knowing that he was lying in a rainy street just yards away. Luckily, a kind person saw him and called an ambulance, but it was too late."
John regularly accompanied Numan to concerts, and while he was often backstage, his presence was likely a calming factor for the 67-year-old.
Gary Numan Will Continue With His Tour
Numan is currently touring England to celebrate the 45th anniversary of his famed "Telekon" album, first released in 1985. Despite losing his brother after just four stops, Numan noted in his Instagram post that he will continue with the remaining shows.
"We are continuing with the tour because my Dad thinks I should, because John's lovely wife said John would want me to. I have no capacity at the moment to make decisions of any kind."
Numan's next show will be on Nov. 21, at the London Eventim Apollo. The final show of the tour will take place in Liverpool, at the city's own 02 Academy, on Nov. 30. Numan has given no update as to whether that will be his final live show, or if he intends to continue performing.
For now, he just needs time to grieve; only then can he make such a monumental decision.
