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Celebrity

GWAR founding member Chuck Varga dies aged 68 after cancer battle

Chuck Varga, the artist and performer behind GWAR's Sexecutioner and co-founder of Slave Pit Studios, has died aged 68 following a battle with cancer, the band announced.

By Maya Lindqvist · · 1 min read

Chuck Varga, a founding member of theatrical shock-metal band GWAR best known onstage as The Sexecutioner, has died aged 68 following a battle with cancer.

His death was announced on Friday night (25 September) by longtime GWAR bassist Casey Orr, better known as Beefcake the Mighty, in a social media post. Orr wrote: “Chuck Varga has left this earthly realm. He passed peacefully, his beloved wife Bambi holding his hand.” He added that Varga was “one of a kind. As an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and a gentleman.”

Varga performed as The Sexecutioner from 1985 through 2022, contributing vocals to songs including “Sexecutioner” on 1990’s Scumdogs of the Universe and “Rag Na Rok” on 1995’s Ragnarök. Beyond the stage, he was a sculptor, illustrator, character designer and special-effects artist who co-founded the Richmond art collective Slave Pit Studios, helping build GWAR’s grotesque theatrical universe from its earliest days.

GWAR publicly revealed Varga’s cancer battle in April and organised a blood drive in his honour, followed by a June fundraiser to help him and his wife cover cancer treatment, hospice care, medical equipment and nursing support. GWAR are due to tour this October alongside Midnight and Mac Sabbath.

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