Hollywood’s Incredible Deaths
Musician Mike Edwards was once killed by a hay bale
Mike Edwards (center) with his former band “Electric Light Orchestra”
© Michael Putland/Getty Images
In Hollywood and the music industry, incredible stories not only happen in front of the camera, but also behind it. GALA looks back at the most mysterious deaths and fates of the dream factory. This time: The musician’s incredible accidental death and “Electric Light Orchestra”-founding member Mike Edwards.
Sometimes there are death reports that sound so bizarre that they can’t actually be true. Mike Edwards’ accidental death is one of them. The founding member of the British rock group “Electric Light Orchestra”, the was one of the most successful bands of the 1970s and 1980s, died almost exactly 13 years ago, on September 3, 2010, when his van collided with a huge falling bale of hay…
Mike Edwards’ van was crushed by a bale of hay
According to the local police, the fatal accident, described in the British media as a “freak accident”, occurred on the A381 in Halwell in the county of Devon, which is in the southwest of England, the BBC reported at the time.
The police assumed that the 600 kilogram hay bale first fell from a tractor in the nearby field and then rolled down a steep slope. He then shot through a hedge and onto the street, only to crash into the cellist’s van. Mike Edwards was said to have died instantly. The musician was only 62 years old. The police had to identify him using photos and YouTube recordings.
Friends were “devastated”
Friends of the musician were shocked afterwards. Angus Gordon, chairman of the Devon Baroque Orchestra, told the BBC: “He was just the nicest guy and a brilliant musician. He taught cello and his incredible patience and encouragement – even with the slowest students – made him a very good one Teacher. I’m devastated.”
Edwards was involved in the first albums of the band “Electric Light Orchestra” and is considered one of the founding members. But in 1975 he left the band. “Electric Light Orchestra” has sold a total of more than 50 million records to date.
Sources used: bbc.com, afp.com