Burke Shelley's death: Tributes pour in as Budgie's bassist and lead vocalist passes away at 71

The late Budgie musician, Burke Shelley (Image via Ian Dikson/Getty Images)

On January 10, Burke Shelley, the lead vocalist and bassist of Budgie, passed away at the age of 71. The Welsh musician died on Monday evening at Heath Hospital in Cardiff. Shelley's daughter, Ela, announced the news of his demise on a Budgie fan group on Facebook.

While the cause of death was not mentioned, the Facebook post noted that Shelley passed away in his sleep. As per reports, the singer-songwriter suffered from Stickler syndrome and had two aneurysms in his aortic arteries.

The Facebook post (Image via Facebook/ela.shelle)

Shelley had reportedly suffered from multiple health issues for more than a decade. In 2010, Burke's aneurysm caused him to be hospitalized right before Budgie's European tour, which was ultimately canceled. Budgie disbanded after his hospitalization.

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Budgie fans pay their tributes on Twitter to late musician Burke Shelley

Numerous fans of the Welsh heavy-metal rock-band tweeted their condolences for the late bassist and singer. Multiple fans reminisced about them meeting Shelley. A few fans also celebrated his contributions and the legacy left behind by the late rockstar.

Shelley's former Budgie bandmate Steve Williams also took to Facebook to share his condolences.

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Exploring the late Budgie singer's legacy

John 'Burke' Shelley was mostly known for his involvement with the heavy-metal band, Budgie, as their lead vocalist and bassist. The Cardiff, Wales-native helped form the band in 1967 and was associated with it until 2010.

As per Classic Rock Magazine, Shelley and others named the band after a common type of parakeet known as Budgerigar (or Budgie). He explained,

"I loved the idea of playing noisy, heavy rock but calling ourselves after something diametrically opposed to that."

The group is also credited as one of the earliest inspirations behind the phase of British heavy-metal bands popping up in the early 1970s. The period was named "the new wave of British heavy metal" by Sounds magazine's journalist Geoff Barton. (Sounds magazine went out of circulation in April of 1991)

The band is said to be one of the earliest heavy-metal groups that inspired the metal-rock genre in the United Kingdom. Budgie predated the boom of other heavy metal bands in the 1980s like Metallica.

Burke is the third member from Budgie to pass away. In 2016, former-guitarist John Thomas passed away from pneumonia at the age of 63. Two years later, former-drummer Pete Boot died aged 67.

Shelley is expected to have a Christian funeral considering his religious faith. However, the service details are private to his family and have not been disclosed.