Music icon Gary Numan has revealed the devastating personal tragedy that led to his emotional collapse during a concert in Birmingham, sharing that his younger brother died just hours before the performance.
The On-Stage Breakdown
The 67-year-old musician, famous for his pioneering electronic sound in the 1970s and 80s, broke down in tears on stage at the O2 Academy in Birmingham on Saturday, November 15. The incident occurred midway through his song 'Please Push No More', leaving thousands of concerned fans watching as his wife, Gemma, rushed to comfort him. At the time, Numan told the audience he was dealing with 'the worst news ever' but did not elaborate further.
A Tragic Loss Revealed
Two days after the heartbreaking scene, on Monday, November 17, Numan shared the full story on Instagram. He posted a photograph of himself with his brother, John, alongside an emotional statement explaining that his 60-year-old brother had died suddenly in the early hours of Saturday morning in Leeds.
'The last two days have been the hardest of my life,' Numan wrote. 'My brother John died suddenly in the early hours of Saturday morning in Leeds, he was just 60 years old.'
He described how John had attended his Telekon show that evening, where the brothers spent precious hours together catching up on everything from family and music to their shared passions for steam trains and aeroplanes.
The Final Goodbye
Numan recounted their final moments together: 'I hugged him at the door of our tour bus, I think it was about 12:20am... we said goodbye and I watched him walk away.'
Tragically, John never reached his car, suffering a fatal heart attack just yards from the tour bus. 'It will haunt me forever that we may have driven off not knowing that he was lying in a rainy street just yards away,' Numan shared. Although a passerby called an ambulance, it was too late to save him.
The musician clarified that his post was not a full tribute to his brother, explaining he is currently 'struggling' and 'broken' with grief, barely able to think straight.
Continuing the Tour as a Tribute
Despite his profound grief, Gary Numan has decided to continue with his Telekon tour after receiving encouragement from both his father and John's wife, who believed it was what John would have wanted.
'This tour is no longer a celebration of an album, it's a tribute to John, my brother, the best brother a man could ever have,' Numan wrote, adding that his brother had been only 15 when the original Telekon album was made and had always been immensely proud of his musical achievements.
