Grant Hart, drummer, singer and songwriter with US rock band Hüsker Dü, has died of cancer at the age of 56.
The band’s official Facebook page posted a black and white photo of Hart earlier today without comment; his former Hüsker Dü bandmate Bob Mould subsequently confirmed the news, noting that “The tragic news of Grant’s passing was not unexpected to me.”
Formed in 1979, Hüsker Dü released six albums between 1983 and 1987, reaching #72 in the UK chart with their final album Warehouse: Songs and Stories. As well as playing drums, Hart shared vocal and songwriting duties with Mould; he wrote and sang on the band’s sole UK hit single Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely which reached #96 in 1986. Hart also wrote Diane, a cover of which became a top thirty hit for Therapy? in 1995. In a Facebook post, Mould described Hart as “a gifted visual artist, a wonderful story teller, and a frighteningly talented musician.”
After Hüsker Dü split in 1987, Mould enjoyed chart success in the UK with his new band Sugar, while Hart formed Nova Mob and went on to record four solo albums, most recently The Argument in 2013. Hart and Mould briefly reformed in 2005 to play a benefit concert for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller; a box set of the band’s early recordings, Savage Young Dü, is due for release in November.
