Bob Casale, guitarist and one of the original members of the new wave band Devo, died on Monday of complications leading to heart failure. Casale was 61 years old.

Devo was formed in 1972. They are famous for their hit song, “Whip It”, which has formed a cult following over the years. Casale was one of the original members of the band alongside his brother Gerald Casale, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, and Alan Myers. Fans of the band called Casale by the nickname “Bob 2”, as he played beside the other Bob, Bob Mothersbaugh, during their performances.

His brother has issued a statement through a Facebook post saying that his brother was a very talented audio engineer and performer, willing to give more than he could at all times, and always stayed level-headed.

Image of Bob Casale

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Devo has been actively touring the past few years and have performed at the Winter Olympics held in Canada in 2010. They also performed at the Coachella Music Festival in California the same year.

The band released their ninth studio album in 2010 entitled “Something for Everybody”. This was the band’s first album in 20 years, the last being “Smooth Noodle Maps”, which was released in 1990.

Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo’s co-founder and vocalist, said that they are saddened by Bob Casale’s sudden death. He also said that Casale was an integral part of Devo and has collaborated with him for about 70 shows and films. Mothersbaugh also said that Casale worked on diverse projects, such as sound for Wes Anderson films and the animated show for kids, Rugrats.

Gerald Casale said that his brother was excited about the prospect of playing with Devo again. His sudden death was a shock to everyone.

Very sad news to report today. Bob “Bob 2” Casale of #Devo. Born: July 14th, 1952 . Deceased: February 17th, 2014 https://t.co/CrT0lVGJhl

— DEVO (@DEVO) February 18, 2014

Alan Myers, an original member of the band who played the drums for 10 years for Devo, also died last year.

Devo: “Whip It”

http://youtu.be/IIEVqFB4WUo

Main image via CNN, Twitter, image of Casale via Facebook