EMF have announced the death of founding keyboardist and sample player Derry Brownson, aged 55. The band said they were devastated by the loss but grateful that he had performed with them only months earlier, describing him as a bandmate and friend. His death is significant for the Gloucestershire group, whose early-1990s success included the number-one single ‘Unbelieveable’.

Brownson, born Derran Brownson in 1971, had reportedly been diagnosed with a brain tumour and was receiving treatment. EMF’s 1991 debut album, ‘Schubert Dip’, reached number three in the UK, and the band reunited after a 2002 hiatus to release albums in 2022 and 2024. Musicians including Ash singer Tim Wheeler and Kirk Brandon paid tribute, while EMF had recently been finishing a new 14-track album.