More sad Coronavirus news overnight; The Stranglers keyboard player David Greenfield has died at the age of 71.

The Stranglers announced Greenfield's passing on their official website: "We are deeply and profoundly saddened to announce the untimely passing of keyboard legend Dave Greenfield on the evening of 3rd May 2020. Following a stay in hospital for heart problems, Dave tested positive for the Covid-19 virus last Sunday but he sadly lost his battle last night. Dave had been an ever-present in the band since joining in late 1975, and his keyboard wizardry was world-renowned over his 45-year career in The Stranglers. Dave was a lovable, friendly and eccentric character who always had time to chat."

Greenfield was a mainstay of the band since the early days and was still touring and recording with them. His keyboards were at the heart of the band's sound. While so many punk bands were guitar focussed, The Stranglers put the keyboards (along with JJ Burnel's bass) at the forefront. Greenfield played lead lines, took solos, added textures, and, in the instance of their biggest hit, "Golden Brown", provided virtually the entire musical bed.

Of course, The Stranglers weren't your standard punk band. Far from it. Formed ahead of the game, with widely different influences to most, they got lumped into punk by virtue of timing and the aggressive and raw tone of their music. And Greenfield, with his bizarre parted pudding bowl haircut, moustache, boiler suits and tracksuit tops, hardly looked like a typical punk either.

Greenfield performed on all the group's albums, and was with them for all their Australian tours, from their first in early 1979, to their most recent visit, just three months ago, in early February. While The Stranglers were indeed popular here, most Australians would not be aware of exactly how big they were at home in the UK, where they clocked 23 Top 40 singles and 17 Top 40 albums.

IYLOS celebrates the life and music of David Greenfield with some classic footage. If you want to listen to the hits or dig deep into the band's catalogue, you can stream all their music here.