British music icon Gary Numan has announced the sudden and tragic death of his younger brother, John, just moments after the pair shared an emotional farewell following a concert in Leeds. John was 60 years old.
A Final Evening Together
In a deeply moving post on his social media channels, the "Cars" singer described the last few days as "the hardest of his life". He revealed that his brother had spent the evening of Monday, November 17, 2025, with him at his Telekon show in Leeds.
"He had spent the evening with me at my Telekon show, catching up, swapping stories, telling me about his newly found love of reading," Numan wrote. The brothers talked intensely into the early hours of the next morning, covering everything from family and music to their father and shared interests, making the most of their rare time together.
A Haunting Goodbye
Numan, 67, explained that he eventually had to leave for his next performance in Birmingham. At approximately 12:20am, he hugged his brother at the door of his tour bus. The musician, who always worried about his brother walking at night, asked how far he had to go to his car.
"Sadly he never made it to his car, betrayed by his own heart," Numan wrote. He expressed a grief that will "haunt me forever", stating that the tour bus may have driven away not knowing John was lying collapsed in a rainy street just yards away. A passerby found John and called an ambulance, but it was too late.
The Show Must Go On As A Tribute
The shock of the news was evident when Numan broke down on stage during his subsequent Birmingham show while performing "Please Push No More", telling the audience he had received the worst news ever.
Despite being "broken" and "shell shocked", Numan confirmed he will continue with the UK tour after being encouraged by his family, including John's wife. He admitted he has no capacity to make decisions and is simply drifting through the worst moment of his life.
He has now dedicated the remainder of the tour to his brother's memory. John was a huge fan of the 1980 No 1 album Telekon, which he first heard when he was just 15. "So this tour is no longer a celebration of an album," Numan declared, "it's a tribute to John, my brother, the best brother a man could ever have."
