(Photo by Steve LaPorte/Getty Images)
Carl Wallinger, the Welsh-born World Party frontman and early member of the Waterboys, died on Sunday, according to a statement from his spokesperson. His cause of death has not been announced, but he suffered a brain aneurysm in 2001, which caused him to take a break from his career for several years. He was 66 years old.
Wallinger formed World Party in 1986, shortly after leaving the Waterboys, and recorded the group's debut album, Private Revolution, mostly alone at home. Released in 1987, the album was an unexpected hit, spawning the hit single “Ship of Fools,” and the group toured and released four more albums through 2000, releasing “Put the They had hits with “Message in the Box'' and “Is It Like Today.'' ? The group was back in action by 2006, and Wallinger stated in a 2022 interview that the group was reuniting and preparing to tour.
Born in Wales in 1957, Wallinger began his career as a keyboardist for several bands and briefly served as music director for London's Rocky Horror Picture Show. He joined The Waterboys in 1983 and appeared on the band's first three albums, including 1985's “This Is the Sea,” which featured the slow-burning hit single “Hole of the Moon.” He participated as a multi-instrumentalist.
Wallinger left the band after touring in support of the album and formed World Party, during which time he contributed to labelmate Sinead O'Connor's debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. O'Connor sang backing vocals on World Party's first two albums. The group's subsequent albums had the same chart success as their debut, but also sold well, and the group remained popular into his late 1990s. He was the music director for the 1994 Gen He also contributed to the Peter Gabriel-conducted album Big Blue Ball, which was recorded in the 1990s but not released until 2008.
World Party toured extensively after Wallinger's recovery, but no new albums were released during that time. However, he promised new material in a 2022 interview.
He is survived by his wife, Susie Zammit, two children, and two grandchildren.