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EMF Founder Derry Brownson Dies at 55
The band scored a massive hit in 1990 with ‘Unbelievable’
Derry Brownson of EMF, who played keyboards on the band's mega hit "Unbelievable," has died. He was 55.
Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect
Derry Brownson, a founding member and keyboardist of the English alternative rock band EMF, which found global fame with its massive 1990 hit “Unbelievable,” has died. He was 55.
EMF announced Brownson’s death in a post on its website.
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“We are devastated,” the band wrote. “The only solace we can find is that we are eternally grateful Derry was able to join us on stage a couple times just a few short months back. Nothing will ever be the same again without our band mate and friend.”
No cause of death was announced, but in July 2025, Brownson told the BBC that he’d undergone surgery to remove part of a brain tumor.
EMF was formed in 1989 in the small town of Cinderford, England. Soon after, it achieved huge international success with its debut single, “Unbelievable,” which featured a sample of comedian Andrew Dice Clay yelling an emphatic “Oh!” at the start of each chorus.
In the U.S., the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was a top 10 hit around the world.
In 2014, Rolling Stone ranked “Unbelievable” at No. 12 in the magazine’s "20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s" list. Since its release, the song has appeared in advertisements for Kraft Crumbles (“They’re crumbelievable”), Applebee’s mozzarella sticks and many other products. “Unbelievable” was also used in several movies, including Coyote Ugly and Space Jam. Additionally, many sports teams around the world have incorporated the song into their promotional music.
EMF released two more albums during the 1990s before breaking up in 1997. (They have reunited three times since then.) Brownson later formed his own band, LK.
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