Selecter frontman dies after short illness as tributes pour in for the ‘beloved’ musician

Singer Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson has died after a short illness amid an outpouring of tributes to the beloved artist.

Music legend 2 Tone began his career in the 1970s as the frontman of the band The Selecter.

The band paid tribute to him online, writing: “We are devastated to confirm that Selecter frontman Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson has died after a short illness.

“The world has lost the original 2-Tone, a talented musician and an absolute gentleman.

“We lost our beloved friend and teammate. RIP Gaps.”

Arthur’s cause of death has not been revealed and it is not yet clear how old he was when he died.

The Selecter, formed in Coventry, performed on and off for four decades.

Arthur was spotted singing with a band on stage in Devon as recently as 2022.

The Selecter formed in 1979 with Arthur and fellow singer Pauline Black on vocals, as well as Neol Davis and Compton Amanor on guitar.

The band also included Desmond Brown, Charley “Aitch” Bembridge on drums and Charley Anderson on bass.

Pauline paid tribute to her friend today by sharing the band’s heartbreaking announcement on X.

The ska revival band topped the UK charts in the 1970s and 1980s with several hits.

The most popular songs included On My Radio, Three Minute Hero, Missing Words and The Whisper.

Fans also paid tribute following the news of Athur’s death.

One wrote on X: “Oh no, this is terrible news!

“My thoughts are with you and his family. RIP Gaps and thank you for the music.”

Someone else said: “We were lucky enough to see you both perform just before Christmas and I really enjoyed hearing about you all in the autobiography. RIP Gaps.”

And a third wrote: “He was a fantastic part of a great team.”