The Pop Group members list explored as founder Mark Stewart dies aged 62

Well-known singer Mark Stewart passed away on Friday, April 21, 2023, at the age of 62, and his cause of death is yet to be revealed. Stewart was popularly known as a founding member of the rock band The Pop Group. Mute Records revealed the news on their social media pages. In a post on Facebook, they wrote that Stewart passed away in the early morning hours of April 21.

A tribute to Mark Stewart was also posted on his official Facebook page. The tribute said:

"Mark is in communion with love. As Sufis say, there is no such thing as death, no one is going to die, but since death is so valuable, it has been hidden in the safe of fears."

Bass player and Living Colour member Doug Wimbish posted a video describing Stewart as a visionary and lyrical genius. Wimbish added that Stewart would often talk about sensitive issues and that he had the best laugh.

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Members of The Pop Group and Mark Stewart's contributions to the band

The Pop Group performs at the Terry Hall presents Home Sessions music festival (Image via Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

The main mastermind behind the British band, The Pop Group was Mark Stewart, who formed the group in 1977 in Bristol, England. He was joined by his school friends John Waddington, a guitarist, and Simon Underwood, a bassist. Gareth Sager, a guitarist and saxophonist, and Bruce Smith, a drummer, later joined the band.

The group first joined the record label Radar Records and released their first album, Y, in 1979. Although the album initially received mixed reviews, its reception improved over the next few years.

Their second album, For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? was released in March 1980 and reached the top of the UK Indie Chart.

The group's third album, Citizen Zombie, was released in 2015 and featured eleven singles. The Pop Group's latest album was released a year later, in 2016, and was titled Honeymoon on Mars. It had ten singles and received positive reviews from critics and audiences.

The band is also popular for their singles like She Is Beyond Good and Evil, We Are All Pr*stitutes, When There's a Will There's a Way, Citizen Zombie, Mad Truth, S.O.P.H.I.A., and Zipperface.

Overall, Mark Stewart's band has four studio albums, three compilation albums, and two live albums, along with six singles and four music videos.

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Mark Stewart also pursued a successful solo career

While The Pop Group enjoyed commercial success, they separated in 1981 due to legal issues and disagreements between the bandmates. Mark then pursued a solo career and released his first album, Learning to Cope with Cowardice, in 1983.

This was followed by more albums like As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade, Mark Stewart, Metatron, Control Data, Edit, The Politics of Envy, and Exorcism of Envy. He released an EP titled Jerusalem in 1982 and two compilation albums in 1986 and 2005.

Stewart was also famous for his singles like Hypnotized, This Is Stranger Than Love, Hysteria, Dream Kitchen, Consumed, Autonomia, and Stereotype.

As mentioned earlier, no additional information about Stewart's cause of death or his funeral have yet been announced.