Bob Bryar, the former drummer with My Chemical Romance who played on the band’s career-defining rock opera The Black Parade, has died at the age of 44, according to the band.

“The band asks for your patience and understanding as they process the news of Bob’s passing,” a spokesperson for My Chemical Romance said in a statement.

The statement did not include any additional details.

Bryar replaced drummer Matt Pelissier in 2004 and left the band in 2010.

Bryar moved on from the music business and later auctioned off a drum kit to raise money for an animal adoption centre in Williamson County, Tennessee.

Next year, the band will embark on a 10-date North American stadium tour, where they will perform The Black Parade, released in 2006, in full.

My Chemical Romance formed in 2001 and released four studio albums across their career, first breaking through with 2004’s Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

They announced their break-up in 2013; a year later, they released a greatest hits collection titled May Death Never Stop You.

In 2019, they announced a reunion, later revealing they had privately reunited two years earlier.