Richard Tandy has died at the age of 76

Jeff - who is now the only active member of ELO - wrote in a Facebook post: "It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of my long-time collaborator and dear friend Richard Tandy.

"He was a remarkable musician, friend and I'll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together.

"Sending all my love to Sheila and the Tandy Family."

The 'Mr Blue Sky' hitmaker is survived by his wife Sheila and the pair resided in Wales from 2010 up until his death.

Richard joined ELO as bassist in 1971 before becoming the band's full-time keyboardist and stayed until the late 1980s before returning in 2000 for a brief spell and then making his final comeback in 2014, staying with the group until his death.

The sad news comes just weeks after it was announced that the group was to embark on their final tour, which was set to take place across North America over the summer.

'The Over and Out Tour' of North America will boast 27 dates starting in Palm Desert, California on August 24, before concluding in Inglewood, Los Angeles on October 25.

It's not currently known if the tour will come to Europe or beyond, or if it will go ahead at all in light of Richard's death.

ELO were due to embark on a tour in 2020, but the whole run was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.