CAREY Lander, singer and keyboardist with Glasgow indie pop band Camera Obscura has died after a battle with cancer. She was 33.

Lander who joined the band in 2002, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a rare type of bone cancer – in 2011 and had raised nearly £60,000 to help fund research into the illness.

The band confirmed the news of her death on its Facebook page saying: "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.”

Among those who have paid tribute are Franz Ferdinand, Pat Nevin and TV presenter Lauren Laverne.

The four remaining full-time members of the band – Tracyanne Campbell, Gavin Dunbar, Kenny McKeeve and Lee Thomson – said they were "touched" by fans' recent support of Lander's fundraising campaign for Sarcoma UK.

They have encouraged people to continue to donate and will continue to promote the campaign on her behalf.

“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," the band said.

The Herald:

Though Lander had continued to perform with the group, the decision was made in August to cancel planned shows in California and Mexico to allow her time off to continue her fight.

"It's probably too late to help me," she wrote via her JustGiving page, "but it would be great if we could find something in the future that means children don't have to undergo such awful treatment and have a better chance of survival."

The Herald:

"I've been quite fortunate in that I have been able to have periods of living something of a normal life in the last 4 years and to continue playing with Camera Obscura.

"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.

"Sadly, my illness is here tripping me up again and I feel like it's time to tell people a bit more about it and see if I can raise a bit of cash to help others in a similar situation."

Originally from Maidstone, Kent, Lander moved to Glasgow when she finished school at 18 because of the appeal of the city's music scene.

She became friends with a few of Camera Obscura's members and was soon asked to join the band. "I think they just wanted somebody that was basically alright at keyboard, and that they liked," she said.

She joined the band following the departure of previous keyboardist Lindsay Boyd, and she contributed organ, piano, and backing vocals to every album since 2003’s Underachievers Please Try Harder.

 

The Herald: