Husker Du Drummer and Singer Grant Hart Dead at 56

09/14/2017 02:16 pm EDT

Grant Hart, co-lead singer and drummer of indie band Husker Du, has passed away. After battling cancer, he died at the age of 56.

The official Husker Du Facebook page shared a photo of Hart around 11 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday without a caption in remembrance of the musician.

Hart co-founded Husker Du alongside fellow singer-songwriter Bob Mould and bassist Greg Norton back in 1979. The Minneapolis group was influenced by punk and the West Coast hardcore scene, Variety reports.

The band hit its stride in the '80s on the local rock scenes and signed with Warner Bros. At the height of their popularity, the band split in 1988.

Mould would go on to lead successful solo career with solo albums and a stint as frontman for the band Sugar.

Over the years, Hart released multiple albums and EPs as a solo artist and as the leader of a band called Nova Mob.

On Thursday morning, Mould shared a pair of photos of himself and Hart. One of the pics was from the band's early years and the other being more recent.

He posted the photos with a heartfelt message that reads:

"It was the Fall of 1978. I was attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. One block from my dormitory was a tiny store called Cheapo Records. There was a PA system set up near the front door blaring punk rock. I went inside and ended up hanging out with the only person in the shop. His name was Grant Hart.

"The next nine years of my life was spent side-by-side with Grant. We made amazing music together. We (almost) always agreed on how to present our collective work to the world. When we fought about the details, it was because we both cared. The band was our life. It was an amazing decade.

"We stopped working together in January 1988. We went on to solo careers, fronting our own bands, finding different ways to tell our individual stories. We stayed in contact over the next 29 years — sometimes peaceful, sometimes difficult, sometimes through go-betweens. For better or worse, that's how it was, and occasionally that's what it is when two people care deeply about everything they built together.

"The tragic news of Grant's passing was not unexpected to me. My deepest condolences and thoughts to Grant's family, friends, and fans around the world. Grant Hart was a gifted visual artist, a wonderful story teller, and a frighteningly talented musician. Everyone touched by his spirit will always remember.

Godspeed, Grant. I miss you. Be with the angels."

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