Koopa bassist Joe Murphy dies at 46

Joe Murphy, the bassist and vocalist for the British pop-punk band Koopa, has died at the age of 46. His death was confirmed by his sister in a social media post on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.

Murphy was a founding member of Koopa, formed in Essex in 2000 alongside brothers Ollie and Stuart Cooper. The band achieved a significant milestone in January 2007 when their single "Blag, Steal & Borrow" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 31. This made Koopa the first unsigned band to reach the Top 40 based solely on digital downloads, a feat celebrated as a breakthrough for independent artists in a changing music industry. At the time, Murphy said the band had rejected record label offers that sought to change them or that could not offer more than they could achieve independently.

The band capitalized on that success with two more Top 40 singles in 2007, "The One-Off Song For The Summer" and "The Crash." They also opened the Isle of Wight Festival that year and later signed with Pied Piper Records, releasing the Mark Hoppus-produced album "Lies Sell Stories" in 2009.

Murphy had faced a serious health crisis in June 2021, when he suffered a...