Tributes flood in for tragic Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes
Friends of The Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes today said he would be remembered as 'one of the greatest drummers of all time'.
Musicians who played alongside the 44-year-old drummer, who died yesterday after battling a brain tumour, described him as a music legend and a 'lovely' person.
Mark Hillier, singer of Black Country band Marquis Drive, used to rehearse in Mr Brookes' personal practice room in Norton Canes and also opened for the band on more than one occasion while playing with his former band Solo 70.
Mr Hillier, aged 41, of Chetwynd Park, Hednesford, said: "It's a very sad loss, such a shame.
"He is a Black Country legend and he was a great man, a real nice bloke and a great drummer. Nothing was too much for him.
"He will go down as one of the greatest drummers of all time and an unsung hero.
"He was one of the lads but also a true gentleman and very hard-working," he added.
Mathew Priest, singer of Britpop band Dodgy, said the drummer's musical ability was second to none, a trait rivalled only by his sparkling personality.
He said: "He was a pioneer in that style of music from the 80s and 90s – one of the best drummers from that period.
"He was also a lovely bloke, always very welcoming and never had an attitude. Everyone loved him. He didn't have a bad word for anyone."
Father-of-three Mr Brookes was a founding member of the iconic Britpop band, which formed in Walsall in 1989.
The group shot to fame with hits such as The Only One I Know and went on to achieve three UK number one albums and four top 10 hits. In 2010 Mr Brookes suffered a seizure while on a 2010 tour with the band in Philadelphia.
The tour had to be cancelled for Mr Brookes to be flown back to the UK for treatment, but he was back on his feet and performing alongside frontman Tim Burgess, guitarist Mark Collins, bassist Martin Blunt and keyboardist Tony Rogers in time for the band's Christmas and New Year Eve's gigs that year.
He had been receiving ongoing treatment for cancer since that time, including three operations, the most recent being in June.
He went under the knife at Edgbaston's Priority Hospital after the tumour reappeared. He leaves his wife Deborah and children Lola Primrose, 12, Ruby Rose, nine, and Coco Dahlia, four.
West Bromwich Albion have announced they will pay a musical tribute at their home ground, The Hawthorns.
