Joe Murphy, Koopa Musician Who Made UK Chart History, Dies at 46
Joe Murphy, the singer and bassist who helped his band Koopa make UK chart history, has died at the age of 46.
The news was shared by his younger sister, Ellie, on social media today, July 7. In her post, she wrote: “For those who knew him, it breaks my heart to say that my big brother, Joe Murphy has passed away. Love you big bro.”
No official cause of death has been announced.
Murphy previously faced a serious health scare in 2021 after suffering a cardiac arrest while driving, which caused him to crash his car. He remained in intensive care for several weeks, and at the time his sister thanked supporters for the “love and messages” they had sent to the family. It has not been confirmed whether his passing was connected to that earlier medical emergency.
Koopa was formed in Essex in 2000, with Murphy serving as lead singer and bassist alongside brothers Ollie Cooper on guitar and vocals and Stuart Cooper on drums.
The band made history in January 2007 when ‘Blag, Steal & Borrow’ debuted at Number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. The achievement made Koopa the first unsigned act to reach the UK Top 40 with a download only single after chart rules were updated to allow songs without a physical release.
The milestone was widely seen as an early sign of how digital downloads could reshape the music industry and challenge the traditional record label model. Looking back at the achievement, Murphy explained that the band had turned down record deals because labels “either wanted to change us too much and manufacture us or they couldn’t do anything for us that we couldn’t do ourselves”.
Koopa later earned two more UK Top 40 hits during 2007. ‘The One Off Song For The Summer’ reached Number 21, while ‘The Crash’ climbed to Number 16.
The group also opened the Isle Of Wight Festival in 2007 before signing with Pied Piper Records. They later recorded ‘Lies Sell Stories’, an album produced by Mark Hoppus, which was released in 2009.
Just before ‘Blag, Steal And Borrow’ unexpectedly became a chart success, Ollie and Stuart Cooper’s father, Martin, died from a suspected heart attack after investing £20,000 of his own money into supporting the band. Their manager, Gary Raymond, said at the time: “It’s the greatest week of our lives and the worst week of our lives. The boys’ dad was one of the driving forces of the band.”
Since the news of Murphy’s death, tributes have poured in from across the Essex music community. Local group The Broken Johnny’s said they were “absolutely gutted” by the loss of what they described as a “local legend”.
Essex Rocks Creative CIC also paid tribute, saying Murphy and Koopa had been “a massive part” of their early years as music promoters during the mid 2000s.
