Rockers and ravers in mourning at deaths of The Specials' John Bradbury, Guru Josh and Lemmy

The pop world is in mourning following the deaths of three much-loved musicians in the space of just 48 hours. On Tuesday afternoon (29 December) 1980s ska band The Specials confirmed the death of their drummer John "Brad" Bradbury at the age of 62, while a source close to 1990s house DJ Guru Josh confirmed to IBTimes UK that he too had passed away, aged 51.

News of the two deaths came less than 24 hours after it emerged Motorhead frontman Lemmy had died just 24 hours after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer on Boxing Day. Social media users have paid tribute to all three men, sharing their music extensively online.

Writing on the official Specials' Facebook page a spokesperson for the band said: ""It is with deep regret that we say goodbye to our great friend, the world's greatest drummer, our beloved Brad. RIP." The band's representatives confirmed that the drummer died in England but did not reveal his cause of death.

Bradbury joined the ska collective in 1979, performing on many of their best-loved songs. He continued to play alongside a later version of the band named Special AKA throughout the 1980s, appearing on critically-acclaimed tracks such as the top 10 hit Free Nelson Mandela.

Paying tribute to Bradbury, his family said: "Brad's drumming was the powerhouse behind The Specials and it was seen as a key part to the Two Tone sound. He was much respected in the world of drumming and his style of reggae and ska was seen as genuinely ground-breaking when The Specials first hit the charts in 1979."

"He was an integral part of The Specials reforming in 2008 and toured with them extensively up to the present day. His contribution to the world of music can not be understated and he will be much missed by family, friends and fans alike," the BBC quoted his family as adding.

Bradbury's death came just three months after The Specials confirmed the death of their trombonist, Rico Rodriguez. The Havana, Cuba-born musician died in a London hospital following a short illness at the age of 80.

Within hours of Bradbury's death, rumours emerged of the death of 1990s rave DJ Guru Josh. Speaking to the IBTimes UK, the DJ's former art assistant Chris Goodchild confirmed that the Jersey born musician had passed away on Sunday (27 December), describing the news as "very sad".

Famous for his influence on the post-Acid House rave scene in the UK, the DJ, born Paul Walden, essentially stumbled into dance music when he first took an ecstasy pill in 1988. Although he had been playing a gig with his rock band earlier in the evening, Walden's later claimed that his life was transformed by the experience, adding that he immediately started performing rave music.

As Guru Josh, Walden was probably best known for his Spring 1990 track Infinity, which received extensive airplay and proved incredibly influential on the UK's burgeoning house music scene. He remained a big-name DJ in Ibiza and Germany in recent years, continuing to release remixes of Infinity as recently as 1998. His cause of death has not yet been revealed.

The deaths come just one day after Motorhead frontman Lemmy died of an aggressive form of cancer aged 70. The famously hard-living rocker had suffered ill health for some time but was only diagnosed with the illness that killed him on Boxing Day.