Chuck Varga, Founding Member of Heavy Metal Band Gwar, Dies at 68

Chuck Varga, a founding member and vocalist of the heavy metal band Gwar, died on Friday following a battle with cancer. He was 68.

Gwar bassist Casey Orr announced his death in a statement shared to Facebook, writing, “Chuck Varga has left this earthly realm. He passed peacefully, his beloved wife Bambi holding his hand. He was one of a kind. As an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and gentleman. I’m better for having known him and the world is lesser for his leaving.”

Orr also shared that Varga would likely be welcomed into Valhalla, a hall where soldiers go after they die in Norse mythology, by late band members Dave Brockie and Cory Smoot.

“Raise your glass and tell his tales,” Orr concluded. “Legends never die. Hail Varga! Hail Sexicutioner!”

While on stage, Varga would often play a character named Sexicutioner. The rock band, known for its unconventional costumes and intentionally offensive lyrics, was nominated for two Grammys, one in 1993 for Best Long Form Music Video and another in 1996 for Best Metal Performance. Gwar is currently preparing to tour this October.

Varga’s battle with cancer became public in April, and the band organized a blood drive and fundraiser in his honor. Donors would receive a shirt designed by Varga, with Gwar’s Bob Gorman noting that Varga’s “illustrations, character designs, performances and artistic vision” continue to influence the band and his aesthetic “helped define an entire universe.”

Varga attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he met fellow student Hunter Jackson. The two co-founded The Slave Pit, a production space aimed toward creating student films, and its creative community ultimately led to the creation of Gwar.

In 1997, Varga left the band and moved to New York City to focus his career on film, TV and Broadway. He would return to perform with Gwar intermittently until 2017, when he founded the costume and set design company Hyperreal Productions.