Camera Obscura keyboardist and singer Carey Lander dies | Music

Camera Obscura keyboardist and singer Carey Lander dies

Member of Scottish indie pop band developed rare bone cancer in 2011 and raised more than £50,000 to fund research

The Camera Obscura musician Carey Lander has died after a battle with cancer, the band has announced.

Lander was a keyboardist and singer with the band, having joined in 2002. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a rare type of bone cancer – in 2011 and had raised more than £50,000 to help fund research into the illness.

The band confirmed the news of her death on its Facebook page. “It is with the greatest sadness, that we must share the news that Carey passed away peacefully this morning after her illness with cancer. We have lost our friend and band mate, and our deepest sympathy goes out to her partner, Kenny, and to all her family and friends.”

The Camera Obscura members Tracyanne Campbell, Gavin Dunbar, Kenny McKeeve and Lee Thomson said that Lander had been “touched” by the support shown for her fundraising campaign for Sarcoma UK.

“She was left in no doubt how much you all loved and appreciated her, and we’d like to thank you all for the support and kind words you have been sending to us and her. The band, our music, and all of you who have enjoyed it over the years, meant so much to her.”

Lander had continued to play with the band, despite her ill health. On her JustGiving page, she wrote that she felt “quite fortunate in that I have been able to have periods of living something of a normal life in the last four years and to continue playing”.

She added: “Being able to record the album we had started working on before my diagnosis, and to travel and play shows again has been amazing, and I’m very grateful to everyone that’s bought out records, come to our concerts or supported us in some way.”

But, in August this year, the band announced that she would be taking time away to concentrate on fighting her illness. Consequently, Camera Obscura also decided to take time off from touring and cancelled planned gigs. At the time, Campbell apologised to fans, but said that her bandmate’s health needed to come first.

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