Jake Brockman was an unofficial member of Echo & The Bunnymen throughout the band's salad days of the 80s. The keyboardist was a regular touring member who had been recording with the Bunnymen since 1987 (providing a crucial touch to classic single "Lips Like Sugar"). He joined the band officially in 1989, after drummer Pete de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident. 20 years later, Brockman suffers the same fate.

Brockman, who other than core bandmates Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant was the longest tenured member of Echo & The Bunnymen, was 53, married, and living in Bristol at the time of the accident. On Tuesday night, Brockman, a noted biking enthusiast, crashed his motorcycle while riding in the Isle of Man. He was rushed to a local hospital, but died from the injuries.

The news comes less than a month before the U.K. release of Echo & The Bunnymen's eleventh studio album The Fountain, the seventh featuring contributions from Brockman. The band's website currently features a picture of Brockman in tribute.

Here's a video of Brockman and Echo & The Bunnymen from 2006 on the Craig Ferguson show:

[BBC]