Derran ‘Derry’ Brownson, the founding member and keyboardist of the popular rock band EMF, has passed away. He was 55 years old at the time of his passing. The band is best known for their 1990 debut single, ‘Unbelievable’, which was one of their highest-selling singles and topped a lot of charts at the time of its release.
Derran ‘Derry’ Brownson passes away
According to an official statement the band collectively shared with the BBC, they revealed that Derry passed away on August 13 at the age of 55. While not many details were shared online, the outlet revealed that he passed away after battling a brain tumour, which he had publicly revealed last year. When announcing his passing, the band remembered him as a person who was “beautiful inside and out.”The band also shared the news of his passing on their Instagram account, posting it along with a photo of the musician smiling while playing his instrument on stage. They wrote, “Late last night we started to hear the news that we have lost our Brother In Arms Derran Brownson. We are devastated; the only solace we can find is that we are eternally grateful Derry was able to join us on stage a couple times just a few short months back. Nothing will ever be the same again without our bandmate and friend; fly high, brother Derry.”
Tributes pour in for Derran ‘Derry’ Brownson
Soon after the news reached the world, fans, netizens, and fellow artists from the industry offered condolences and support for the band and for Derry’s family. One person wrote in the comment section, “Omg this is such sad news. I met Derry and the others for the 1st time back in 1991 at the BBC in White City when they just released Unbelievable. Such great memories of the band and their gigs. Back together with Zac now. Sleep well, Derry x”, while another person shared, “The coolest man of all time x.”Ian Dench, fellow bandmate from EMF, remembered his friend while talking to the outlet, sharing, “I can’t think of anyone who embodied lust for life like Derry did. I mean, he was beautiful inside out. “Underneath all that excitement and laughter, he was a sensitive soul and, as I said, a beautiful person inside and out.” Musical group Feeder posted in the comment section, “So sorry to hear this”, while lead guitarist of Ash, Tim Wheeler, wrote, “So sorry for your loss, rest in peace Derry, sending love.”A fan recalled how he became friends with the musician and wrote about how the two had met for the first time after he booked the band for a festival. The comment further read, “I’d been an EMF fan long since, them being local to me and the best thing to ever come out of the Forest. I had a natural bond with Derry before I ever met him – we had Wolves in common, and it was that which started our friendship. When he first became ill, we exchanged a lot of messages, and I felt certain he would beat his illness – and now I’m sat here mourning the loss of a friend.” He added, “Fly high, my friend – watch the Wolves from on high, and try not to ‘smash the fucking place, right up.’ Long live the new flesh x.”
About EMF and Derran ‘Derry’ Brownson
The musician started the cult band in the 90s in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, and the group soon found their footing after the release of their debut single, ‘Unbelievable.’ At the time of its release, the song rose to the top of multiple music charts and helped them find their footing in the industry.In July 2025, Derry publicly released a statement to the outlet, sharing that he had been battling with a brain tumour and had already undergone surgery to remove parts of it to speed up his recovery. Talking about his diagnosis, he shared that he wishes to recover quickly and get back up on stage. He commented at the time, “[It’s] just a battle, really. I want to get back into playing; that has meant a lot, actually, just to do this gig now in our hometown. Doing gigs in your hometown can sometimes be a pain… but this is very, very special to me.”Over the course of his career, Brownson worked with EMF for years and was involved in all five of their full-length studio albums from the get-go.
