When we awoke this morning to hear that GWAR’s frontman, Dave Brockie, was found dead yesterday at his home in Richmond, our first inclination was to think that it was a sick joke played by Brockie, who had a fantastically sick sense of humor. As more and more of his friends and fellow musicians started to express their condolences, we quickly figured out that it was sadly true. And now the band’s longtime manager, Jack Flanagan, has confirmed Brockie’s death in a statement:

“It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23,2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.

“My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.”

TMZ reports that he was found sitting upright in a chair, and that no drugs were found at his home. It also rules out suicide, saying no notes were found anywhere. We’re still at a loss for words. While it’s an odd thing to say about someone whose alter ego was unfiltered and purposefully vulgar, Brockie was a class act. We’d interviewed him several times, and he was always quick to respond to any questions we had, or to retweet that latest news we’d wrote about him or his band. He’ll certainly be missed. A statement from the band is forthcoming.