One of the leaders of the ska/reggae revival popular in England in the seventies has died on stage in England. Judge Dread, a.k.a. Alex Hughes and often billed as "The World's No. 1 Rude Boy," had just finished a performance at a theater Thurday night in Canterbury, England, when he collapsed.

England's Press Association news reports that the audience, used to Dread's reputation as a jokester, assumed it was part of the act until an off duty paramedic in the crowd realized the situation was serious and began administering CPR. Dread was pronounced dead on arrival to the hospital. The cause of death has not been determined, but a heart attack is suspected.

Although he was never overly successful in the States, Dread sold millions of records over his 20-year-plus career. He remained active, often touring Europe and issuing his songs on a variety of recent reggae and ska compilations.

Portly, graying, balding, white and over fifty, Hughes, a former DJ and Rolling Stones security guard, was hardly a boy even when he began his career, and by today's standards he wasn't overly rude. But when he hit the charts with "Dreadmania" in 1973, he and his peers were champions of risqué themes and songs about injustice and inequality. His records were banned by the BBC.

Just a few of his early albums included the aforementioned "Dreadmania" along with "Working Class 'ero," (1974), "Bedtime Stories," (1975), "Last of the Skinheads," (1976), the hot-selling "40 Big Ones" (1980), and "Not Guilty" (1984).

• Judge Dread