Karl Wallinger, lead singer for World Party, dead at 66

Karl Wallinger, the lead singer of World Party who scored hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s with “Ship of Fools,” “Put the Message in the Box” and “Is It Like Today?” died Sunday. He was 66.

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Wallinger’s death was confirmed by his family through the singer’s publicist, according to the Los Angeles Times.

No cause of death was given, although Wallinger suffered a brain aneurysm in 2001 that halted his career for several years, Variety reported.

The singer-songwriter’s solo project, World Party, had a cult following among fans of alternative rock fans during the 1980s, according to People.

Wallinger, an early member of the folk-rock group Waterboys, formed World Party in 1986, Variety reported. The following year, the group’s debut album, “Private Revolution,” featured the hit “Ship of Fools.”

The group toured and released four more albums -- “Goodbye Jumbo” (1990), “Bang!” (1993), “Egyptology” (1997) and “Dumbing Up” (2000).

After recovering from his aneurysm, Wallinger and the band continued to tour from 2006 until 2015.

Karl Edmond de Vere Wallinger was born in Prestatyn, Wales, on Oct. 19, 1957, according to The Guardian. He played keyboard for several bands and held a job in the music publishing industry, according to the newspaper.

Wallinger served a brief stint as the musical director in a West End production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” then joined the Waterboys in 1983, a Scottish rock band led by Mike Scott, according to the Times.

Wallinger and Scott collaborated on “This Is the Sea,” which yielded the single, “The Whole of the Moon.”

Wallinger also worked on Sinéad O’Connor’s 1987 debut album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” according to The Guardian.

Scott paid tribute to Wallinger on Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter, calling him “one of the finest musicians I’ve ever known.”

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