Founding member of ELO killed in freak accident as giant runaway hay bale smashes into his van

The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | September 5, 2010

[Stoat]

A founding member of ELO has been killed following a freak accident involving a giant bale of hay.

Mike Edwards, 62, who played cello for the band for three years, died when the giant bale weighing 50 stone crashed down on top of his van.

Mr Edwards died instantly in the accident after the bale careered down the hill, and flipped over a hedge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eccentric: Mike Edwards's bizarre costumes and ability to play his cello with fruit were a major part of ELO's appeal

 

 

Bowing out: Mike Edwards, on the far right, played cello in ELO from 1972 to 1975

 

 

Performing: Edwards plays his cello during a gig in 1974.

[canuck_conservative]

“Jeff Porcaro died in a gardening accident on August 5, 1992, at the age of 38. He was spraying insecticide in his garden and inhaled too much of the spray, triggering a heart attack. An autopsy revealed a serious heart condition that had been previously undiagnosed.”

[Sawdring]

My favorite:

Turn To Stone

[Mr_Moonlight]

Jeff Lynne has had a long and successful career with ELO. He was pretty good in the Traveling Wilburys too.

As well as producing George Harrison's "Cloud 9" album (one of my faves), and the two 'new' Beatles songs, "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" ... not a bad overall resume, ehhh ?

The less said about Crosby the better.

Dittos

[Waverunner]

Did the perp have a license to roll hay?

[VR-21]

Rest In Peace. I did and do enjoy ELO’s music.

[BnBlFlag]

Never heard of ‘em!

[rockrr]

Bummer. RIP Mike

[dfwgator]

That whole Out of the Blue album is a classic, not a dog on the entire album. And it had a cool cardboard ELO spaceship you could make, oh how I miss the days of double LPs.

[Captainpaintball]

It's a bale of hay!!! (do do doodle doodle doo)
What a terrible thing to lose!!!
It's coming our way!!! (do do doodle doodle doo)
Will our next of kin file a suit?

[Nik Naym]

You forgot the sarcasm tag.

[coon2000]

You must be young. Electric Light Orchestra was a hard one to miss.

[Stoat]

Thank you very much for pinging your list  :-)

 

[Stoat]

 oh how I miss the days of double LPs

Agreed.   I miss the great sound of LP's as well as the loss of album cover artwork.  Tiny CD covers hardly convey the magnificent artistic expression that the better LP album covers brought into the world.

[ladyvet]

Awww...loved ELO in High School. Accident sounds like something out of “Final Destination.”

[BenLurkin]

They had a great sound — and it was happy music.

[rawcatslyentist]

Tiny CD covers hardly convey the magnificent artistic expression that the better LP album covers brought into the world.

Nothing on the front, nothing inside, either. The trash they sell as entertainment nowadays, artistic expression has nothing to do with it.

[AUsome Joy]

Comedian Robert Schimmel

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Bless his heart, I guess he just baled out.

[dr_lew]

I'm guessing it happened here, where the A381 enters the trees going uphill from left to right. Halwell to Harbetonford isn't a very long stretch, and this looks to me like it must be the place.

[One_Upmanship]

How terrible. What a tragedy.