Chuck Varga, GWAR founding member and vocalist, dies at 68

Chuck Varga, a founding member and vocalist of GWAR, the Richmond-born shock-rock heavy metal outfit, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 68 and a Brooklyn, New York resident at the time of his death. The band confirmed the news via a statement from GWAR bass player Casey Orr, who noted that Varga died peacefully with his wife, Bambi, by his side. Varga sometimes performed as the Sexicutioner during his GWAR years.

Orr described Varga as “one of a kind,” saying, “as an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and a gentleman.” Fans were urged to raise a glass to his memory, with Orr adding, “Legends never die. Hail Varga! Hail Sexicutioner!”

Varga disclosed his cancer diagnosis last April, after which GWAR launched a nationwide blood donation campaign in his honor. Donors who gave blood reportedly received a shirt designed by Varga.

Regarding his time with GWAR, Varga performed vocals with the band during its 1986-1996 breakthrough period and returned for stints from 2000-2002, 2014-2017, and 2022.

Born in 1958, Varga attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he befriended fellow student Hunter Jackson and helped establish The Slave Pit, a production space that contributed to GWAR’s development. The Slave Pit’s creative community of musicians, artists, and filmmakers helped give rise to GWAR, a band known for blending heavy metal with sci‑fi and medieval Nordic mythology, wrapped in distinctive costumes.

GWAR’s history includes Grammy nominations in 1993 for the long-form video Phallus in Wonderland and in 1996 for the single “S.F.W.”, with both nominations highlighting the band’s cult‑favorite status in metal circles.

Varga departed GWAR in 1997 and moved to New York City to pursue opportunities in film, television, and Broadway, while intermittently returning to perform with GWAR through 2017. He later founded Hyperreal Productions, a costume and set design company.

Deadline notes that complete information on survivors was not immediately available.

Source: Deadline

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