GWAR has released its first public statement following the death of founding member Chuck Varga. The band addressed the loss in a post shared on Instagram.
Varga, who performed as the Sexecutioner and was one of GWAR’s founding members, died last week following a battle with cancer at age 68. The statement reflects on his role in shaping the band from its earliest days and pays tribute to his contributions as both a performer and visual artist.
“There are some losses that hit harder than others,” GWAR said. “The world lost Chuck Varga a few days ago, and GWAR lost one of its own. Chuck was the Sexecutioner and was one of the founding members of GWAR. He was there when this strange, disgusting, beautiful thing was being born, helping create the world that would become GWAR.”
The band went on to describe Varga’s lasting impact on GWAR’s identity, both on stage and behind the scenes.
“As Sexecutioner, Chuck brought an unforgettable presence to the stage and helped establish the larger-than-life mythology, chaos and depravity that would come to define the band,” GWAR continued. “As one of the visual artists his illustrations and costume design helped establish GWAR’s distinct visual style. He was there at the beginning, and even before when GWAR was struggling to establish what it was going to become. Chuck went on to excel with his scenic artistic talents in movies, theatre and other visual mediums. Sadly, now the Sexecutioner has gone back home to reunite with his Scumdog Brethren Oderus Urungus and Flattus Maximus.”
The statement also highlighted Varga’s personal relationships within the band beyond his stage persona.
“For those of us who knew Chuck, he was more than a character in a monster suit, he was an artist, a vocalist, a true performer and most importantly a brother to everyone in the band,” GWAR said. “He was one of the people who helped make GWAR possible.”
“Our hearts go out to Chuck’s loving wife Bambi, his family, his friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” the band added. “Hail Sexecutioner! Hail Chuck Varga!”
Varga’s ties to GWAR run deeper than his stage character alone. His creative fingerprints are visible throughout the band’s history, well before he ever stepped into costume.
Varga co-founded Slave Pit Studios in Richmond alongside fellow GWAR architect Hunter Jackson. That workshop became the creative engine behind much of the band’s early visual identity. The costumes, sets, and grotesque mythology that would define GWAR’s stage presence for decades first took shape there, cementing Varga’s role as far more than a performer.
Varga stepped away from GWAR’s full-time touring schedule in 1997. He then shifted his focus toward Broadway, film, and television work in New York, applying his scenic artistry to new creative outlets outside the band. He continued to make occasional appearances with GWAR in the years that followed, maintaining a connection to the group even as his career moved in new directions.
Varga’s health struggles became public earlier this year when he disclosed his cancer diagnosis in April. The band rallied around him in the following months, organizing a blood donation campaign and later a fundraiser to help cover medical costs for Varga and his wife, Bambi, as he continued treatment.
That support from the GWAR community underscores the tone of the band’s tribute, one that frames Varga not just as a founding architect of their chaotic mythology, but as family. His death marks the loss of one of the last original members who helped build GWAR from the ground up, shaping both its visual language and its enduring legacy in shock rock.
