A member of a popular Australian pop-rock band passed away this week just days after he revealed to his fans and friends that he was battling a grave illness.

Richard Andrew, the drummer for the Underground Lovers, died on Wednesday at the age of 58 as a result of lung cancer, Billboard reported.

He had just announced less than a week earlier that he'd recently been diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic lung cancer.

Family and bandmates mourn the loss

The tragic news was shared Wednesday evening in a post on Andrew's Facebook page, which stated, "Our beautiful Richard John Andrew died at around 5.25 am, this morning. His death, as he was in life, was epic."

"He left this world, face to face with his wife, Nicolette, as she sang their song 'Do you Realise' by The Flaming Lips. We are all heartbroken though relieved that our sweet prince is finally free," the post from his family added.

The sad news was subsequently confirmed by a post on the Underground Lovers' Instagram page, which said, "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our charming beautiful force of nature Richard John Andrew."

"We are numb with grief and sadness. He passed peacefully in his sleep at home this morning with his wife Nicolette at his side. We ask for privacy during this difficult time," the band added.

Cancer revealed just a week earlier

It was just six days earlier, on Oct. 23, that Andrew had shared two major revelations with his fans and friends in a Facebook post -- first, that he had married his girlfriend Nicolette Powell, and second, that he'd recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and likely didn't have much longer to live.

Andrew wrote, "A few month ago, I was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic lung cancer, which has been a billy cart ride down s--t street, for the last little while. I am in excellent spirits with a fantastic support team and completely surrounded by love. More love than I know what to do with, for which I am eternally grateful."

"It has all been a massive learning curve about my life, the nature of cancer and, above all, an immense amount of gratitude to all the people I love and the fantastic life I'm managed to live, for the past 58 years," he continued.

"I am completely reconciled to whatever the future is, however, that future is probably quite limited and I'm in the process of preparing to pop this mortal coil and return to the trees, as it were," the drummer shared. "I cannot overstate enough what an honour and a privilege it has been to know you all over the last 58 years, and to have lived the most incredible, incredible life."

"I've often been thinking lately that the way you die reflect the way you've lived and I have just had the most amazing life. I will desperately miss you all, especially the beautiful and incredible Nikki," he added. "I can only say once again for having the privilege of having known you all and to have been lucky enough to include you in my life as a friend, as a musician, or however you've been part of my life. It's been a wild ride and thank you so much for sharing it with me. I will miss you all, desperately, and I love you all to bits!"

Reunited with the band he first joined in the 1980s

Billboard reported that Andrew joined the Underground Lovers as its drummer in 1988 when the band was still known as GBVB, the initials of founding members Glenn Bennie and Vincent Giarrusso, and was part of the band's first three studio albums, one of which helped the band win an Australian music industry award for Best New Talent in 1992.

Andrew eventually left the band and performed with several other Australian groups while the band itself broke apart in 2002, though he and his former bandmates reunited in 2009 and released three more studio albums in 2013, 2017, and 2019.