by Alison Leon
6 September 2010
A former member of British rock group ELO was killed in a freak accident on Friday when his van was crushed by a 600 kilogram bale of hay, the BBC reports.
Cellist Mike Edwards, 62, died instantly in the road traffic accident on the A381 in Halwell, Devon.
Police suspect the bale fell from a tractor on nearby farmland before rolling on to the road in front of Mr Edwards’ vehicle.
He was identified using photographs and YouTube footage but police are trying to contact his family to carry out a formal identification. He was never married and an ex-girlfriend is currently abroad, although it is believed that Mr Edward’s brother may live in Yorkshire. He had no immediate family in the Devon area, but may have taught cello there.
He was a member of the Birmingham-based prog rock group, which had hits such as ‘Mr Blue Sky,’ from 1972 to 1975.