Chuck Varga, a classic member of GWAR known as the Sexecutioner, has died following a battle with cancer; he was 68. His death was announced Friday night by longtime GWAR bassist Casey Orr, better known as Beefcake the Mighty.
“Chuck Varga has left this earthly realm. He passed peacefully, his beloved wife Bambi holding his hand,” Orr wrote. “He was one of a kind. As an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and a gentleman. I’m better for having known him and the world is lesser for his leaving.” Orr added that Varga was likely being welcomed into Valhalla by late GWAR members Dave Brockie and Cory Smoot, before concluding, “Raise your glass and tell his tales. Legends never die. Hail Varga! Hail Sexecutioner!”
Varga helped build GWAR’s grotesque, theatrical universe from its earliest days, working across sculpture, illustration, character design, special effects, and performance. He was also a co-founder of the Richmond art collective Slave Pit Studios and became best known onstage as Sexecutioner, contributing vocals to songs including “Sexecutioner” from 1990’s Scumdogs of the Universe and “Rag Na Rok” from 1995’s Ragnarök.
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GWAR publicly revealed Varga’s cancer battle in April and organized a blood drive in his honor. In June, the band launched another fundraiser to help Varga and his wife cover cancer treatment, hospice care, medical equipment, nursing support, and other expenses. At the time, GWAR’s Bob Gorman said Varga’s “illustrations, character designs, performances, and artistic vision” could still be felt throughout the band, adding that his underground aesthetic “helped define an entire universe.”
GWAR are preparing to tour this October with punk-metal band Midnight and fast-food-themed Black Sabbath tribute act Mac Sabbath.
See Orr’s statement on Varga’s passing below.
