Bob Casale, a founding member of the Akron, Ohio pre-punk band Devo, died suddenly on February 17th of heart failure. He was 61.

Bob Casale helped create the futuristic rock sound that was at its most extreme on Devo’s radical 1978 debut album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

In a statement, Gerald Casale said: “As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.”

Alan Myers, Devo’s drummer during the group’s creative peak, died last year of stomach cancer. He was 58.

Read Rolling Stone‘s obit here.

Devo’s cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” appeared on Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”:

“Whip It”:

“Come Back Jonee”:, France 1978:

“Gut Feeling” / “Slap Your Mammy,” France, 1978:

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