Kevan Staples, a former support act for David Bowie and star of Rough Trade, has died aged 74. His death was confirmed by his friend and co-creator of Rough Trade, Carole Pope. She took to Instagram to announce the tragic news.
Alongside a monochrome photo of Staples, she emotionally penned: “Yesterday my beautiful friend and #roughtrade co-creator @kevanstaples passed away. He was a bright light that will burn forever.” While no further details about his death have been released, fans quickly filled the comments section with messages of condolence.
One fan wrote: “A brilliant musician and wonderful human being, I’m so sorry, Carole,”. Another commented: “Iconic you both are and always will be.
“The Elmo was a great venue for you both. So talented. A sad loss,” wrote a third, while another added: “Heartbreaking – so sorry for your loss. And condolences to his loved ones. Your partnership was a force of nature,” followed by a love heart emoji, reports the Mirror.
Staples was the co-founder of the legendary rock band and co-wrote the band’s risque breakout hit High School Confidential. Other hits included Birds of a Feather and All Touch.
In the 80s, after making a splash on the music scene, the band won four Juno Awards. They were later inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2023.
“Their music challenged conventions and left a lasting impact on Canada’s cultural landscape,” read a post on the Canada Walk of Fame’s Instagram page.
Speaking in 2000, Pope looked back on the evolution of their partnership and the birth of Rough Trade in 1974, as they decided to move away from their original name, the Bullwhip Brothers.
The year 1983 marked a milestone as they hit the road with the iconic David Bowie, serving as the opening act for several of his Canadian gigs during his Serious Moonlight tour.
But the limelight was short-lived; by 1986, Rough Trade was dissolving. Faced with financial stagnation after hitting a wall in the American market, they openly expressed to journalists that they didn’t intend to just stay afloat financially.
“Besides writing about sexuality, we were also writing about politics and people didn’t pick up as much on that here,” Pope reflected on their musical messaging in a chat with the Canadian Press in 1994.
They momentarily got back together in 2001 and would occasionally reunite for live performances over subsequent years.
Staples didn’t just limit his creativity to music; he branched out into films and TV. In conversations with CBC, he boasted about his impact, stating: “I think we did our part in shaking up the Canadian industry.”
