Gaps Hendrickson, frontman for The Selector 2-Tone band, dead at 73

Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, the frontman for the 2-Tone band The Selecter, died Tuesday, the band announced. He was 73.

A spokesperson for the Coventry, England, band confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the singer had died after a short illness, the BBC reported.

“The world has lost a 2-Tone original, a talented musician and an absolute gentleman,” the band posted. “We have lost our beloved friend and bandmate. RIP Gaps.”

Hendrickson, the leader of the ska band, was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, the Shropshire Star reported.

The Selecter, which also featured lead singer Pauline Black and drummer Charley “Aitch” Bembridge, was formed in 1979, according to the newspaper.

The band’s debut album, “Too Much Pressure,” was released in 1980 and featured Hendrickson on lead vocals on the title track, the BBC reported. The band had five top-40 singles in the United Kingdom, according to the news organization.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Black wrote that she was “too devastated to say anything coherent at the moment” but shared a message from Hendrickson’s family, according to the BBC.

“Gappa was actively performing with the group until he was diagnosed with cancer last year. Even then, he fought his way back from ill health to join Jools Holland’s R&B Orchestra as a guest artist for their Autumn/Winter Tour 2023,” the Facebook post stated. “Gaps was known the world over for singing the title track on The Selecter’s debut album ‘Too Much Pressure.’ he brought a captivating angst and frustration to the track as he described the trials and tribulations of daily life for the working man.

“He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.”

The Selecter was part of an early 1980s movement that championed racial equality along with bands like The Specials, Madness, The Beat and The Bodysnatchers, according to the New Musical Express.

After “Too Much Pressure,” the group followed up with “Celebrate The Bullet.” The original lineup split up in 1982 and reformed in 1991, led by Black, the music news website reported. Hendrickson performed with the group between 1994 and 1996 and became a more permanent fixture in the group when it reformed again in 2010, the New Musical Express reported.

Their latest album, “Human Algebra,” was released in 2023, according to the Star.

Funeral arrangements are pending, the BBC reported.

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