When did The Jam disband? Former drummer Rick Buckler dies at 69

Former Rock band The Jam's longtime drummer Rick Buckler passed away on February 17 at the age of 69. His former colleagues announced the news on social media.

As per BBC's February 18 report, Buckler's family said in a statement that he was a "loving husband, father, and grandfather" who was "devoted to many" and will be "greatly missed."

According to the same statement, the musician had:

"Passed away peacefully on Monday evening in Woking after a short illness with family by his side".

Rick Buckler's bandmate Paul Weller went on to write a tribute on Facebook and said that he was "shocked and saddened" by Rick Buckler's passing. He further wrote:

“I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! We went far beyond our dreams and what we made stands the test of time. My deepest sympathy to all family and friends..”

The English rock group, The Jam was founded in Woking, Surrey, in 1972. From their debut in 1977 until their breakup in December 1982, they released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the UK.

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The Jam's Rick Buckler died 43 years after the band broke up

As per U Discover Music's October 30, 2024, report, Rick Buckler's band announced that they were disbanding on October 30, 1982. After weeks of speculation, band lead Paul Weller finally revealed that the band was splitting up to pursue new musical endeavors, after five years of continuous success.

As per the same outlet, Journalist Paolo Hewitt later described it as "the bravest decision pop had seen since Marvin and Stevie stood up to Motown." Following a summer vacation in Italy, Weller came home to announce his intention to disband the group.

Even though no formal announcement was made, on that day in 1982, a handwritten press release was distributed after the band's split was leaked.

As per the same outlet, Weller supposedly wrote:

“Personal address to our fans.. At the end of this year, The Jam will be officially splitting up, as I feel we have achieved all we can together as a group. I mean this both musically and commercially.."

The statement continued:

"I want all we have achieved to count for something and most of all I’d hate us to end up old and embarrassing like so many other groups do...”

A few days later, The Jam appeared in their own mini-gig on the inaugural episode of The Tube, a television show on Channel 4. As per the same outlet, Beat Surrender, their last single, became their third record to reach No. 1 in the UK at the end of November, marking their musical goodbye.

Supported by Big Country, the band's final tour featured five nights at Wembley Arena before ending with a tearful farewell at the Brighton Centre on December 11 of the same year.

After five years of fame, the band broke up in 1982. Nevertheless, as per U2 Feedback's 2003 report, The Jam came in at number five on Virgin Radio's 2002 list of the greatest 100 British musicians of all time.

On the other hand, after his tryst with The Jam, in 1983, Buckler formed a new band called Time UK, which included him, Danny Kustow, Ray Simone, Jimmy Edwards, and Martin Gordon.

As per Punk News' February 18 report, this band had split up in two years as well. After that, Buckler entered the production industry, while working on the Highliners' album Bound for Glory, in which he also played drums for a brief period in 1990.

Additionally, Buckler produced the Family Cat band's first studio album, Tell 'Em We're Surfin in 1989. Moreover, as per the same source, Rick Buckler wrote a number of books, including Our Story (1994), which he co-wrote with Bruce Foxton, his Jam bandmate, and That's Entertainment: My Life in the Jam (2015).

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On the other hand, no information about Rick Buckler's death has been provided as of yet.