Stephen Luscombe, the English multi-instrumentalist best known as the founding keyboardist for 1980s synth-pop band Blancmange, has died. He was 70 years old. His bandmate Neil Arthur confirmed the news on social media today, simply writing: “Heartbroken. RIP Stephen. Love you forever.” A cause of death has not been revealed, but Luscombe opted to leave Blancmange in 2011 after he suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Luscombe was born in Middlesex, England on October 29th, 1954. He studied at the University Of Westminster’s Harrow School Of Art in London. While living in London, Luscombe and Arthur formed Blancmange along with Laurence Stevens in 1979. Stevens left the band shortly thereafter, but Luscombe and Arthur continued as a duo, naming their band after the eponymous dessert. Their initial breakthrough came in 1981 when the label Some Bizzare included their song “Sad Day” on Some Bizarre Album, a compilation album that also included songs from fellow synth-pop legends-to-be like Depeche Mode, The The, and Soft Cell.

Blancmange’s debut album Happy Families arrived in 1982. It reached top 40 on the UK album charts, and contained successful singles like “God’s Kitchen,” “I’ve Seen The Word,” “Feel Me,” and their biggest hit “Living On The Ceiling.” Their sophomore album Mange Tout was released in 1984 and cracked the top 10, but its 1985 follow-up Believe You Me didn’t perform nearly as well commercially, prompting Blancmange to amicably break up the following year. After Blancmange’s breakup, Luscombe teamed up with the musicians Pandit Dinesh, Peter Culshaw, Priya Khajuria, and Asha Bhosle for an album of Indian-influenced music called New Demons, released in 1989.

Blancmange reunited a quarter of a century later with Blanc Burn, their fourth studio album, in 2011. But their comeback was thwarted when Luscombe suffered an aneurysm, forcing him to leave the band. Arthur chose to continue Blancmange as a solo project, going on to release over a dozen studio albums. Back in May, Blancmange played their first shows on North American soil in over 40 years, kicking off with an appearance at Cruel World Festival in Pasadena.

Revisit some of Luscombe’s work with Blancmange below.