Stephen Thompson Erlewine just posted:

Farewell to Karl Wallinger, the mastermind of the neo-psychedelic outfit World Party and a pivotal member of the Waterboys in the mid-80s. According to his publicist, he died March 10 at the age of 66.

Goddammit motherfucking shit. That's all I have to say presently.

That's exactly what I was going to say. World Party has given me a lot of joy over the years, not to mention his work with the Waterboys.

More, though no cause of death, here.

Ohhh my gosh ... both my wife and I have long been big fans of both the Waterboys and World Party. It's always kinda chancy whenever a principal member of any band leaves, but Wallinger's departure from the Waterboys turned out to be a double benefit, as we now had two choice bands to appreciate. Rest in peace, Karl, and thank you for all the terrific music. 66 is too young.

Sad news. Knew he was in the Waterboys for a period but didn't realize he wrote Whole of the Moon.