Mike Edwards, a founding member of the Electric Light Orchestra has been killed in a freak accident.

According to the CBC, the 62-year-old cellist was driving in southwest England on September 3, when a 600-kilogram bale of hay rolled out of a field and crushed his van. He died instantly.

“This was a tragic accident,” Sgt. Steve Walker of the Devon and Cornwall police traffic unit told BBC News. An investigation is underway.

Edwards’ cello playing is featured on albums released by ELO between 1972 and 1975, including The Electric Light Orchestra (released 1971 in the UK), ELO II, On the Third Day, The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) and Eldorado. He left in 1975 and was replaced by Melvyn Gale. After his departure, Edwards became a follower of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) and changed his name to Swami Deva Pramada.

Recently he had been living in Devon, and had worked on different musical projects, including operas at Sadler’s Wells in London.

The CBC says former ELO drummer Bev Bevan called his ex-bandmate “a chubby little chap with a big, black beard and the most amazing grin,” adding, “He used to play [Bach's] Air on a G String using an orange instead of a bow.”

Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation