PAUL Woseen, a founding member of legendary Newcastle rock band The Screaming Jets has died.
The Screaming Jets confirmed Woseen's passing on Friday night, by releasing a statement on social media.
"It is with broken hearts that we tell you our beloved brother in rock, Paul Woseen, has passed away today," the statement said.
"We are shattered, dealing with the loss of Paully, he was a brilliant shining light in all of our lives.
"Our hearts are with Paully's family, and we ask that you respect our need for privacy at this time."
Woseen, along with frontman Dave Gleeson, were the only original members remaining in the pub rock band that exploded out of Newcastle and achieved global success in the early '90s with their debut album All For One (1991) and singles Better and Helping Hand.
The bass guitarist wrote or co-wrote many of the Jets' most famous tracks such as Shine On, Stop The World and Helping Hand.
Despite a raft of line-up changes over the years, including the acrimonious exit of original lead guitarist Grant Walmsley in 2007, the Screaming Jets with Woseen and Gleeson at the helm have remained a regular fixture on the Australian touring circuit.
The Screaming Jets are due to release their ninth studio album Professional Misconduct on October 6. It's been preceded by the singles Nothing To Lose and Second Chance, which were co-written by Woseen.
When describing the new album, Woseen said: "We're just older, otherwise we're exactly the same. And that's why I'm proud of this band, we stayed true to who we are."
Woseen, whose nickname was Ember after his early band The Embers with guitarist Nick Raschke, also described the Jets as "not just a band, we're a gang."
The Jets were due to kick-off their Professional Misconduct tour on November 3 in Brisbane. The tour culminated with a February 23 show at the Toronto Hotel.
The Screaming Jets' last performance in Newcastle was the Supercars concert in March.
