It was no secret that Mark E. Smith, the late frontman of post-punk icons The Fall, was in ill health leading up to his death last month at the age of 60. But his family today released a statement revealing what ultimately killed him: terminal lung and kidney cancer. Read the full statement here.

[tweetmeme]“Dark Wave,” hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Matt Sebastian, airs 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. EDT every Sunday on Sirius XM satellite radio’s 1st Wave (Channel 33). The most recent two episodes also are available via Sirius XM’s On Demand service for online subscribers. Get tonight’s full playlist right here.

Mark E. Smith, the irascible and utterly one-of-a-kind frontman — and only constant member — of Manchester post-punk icons The Fall, died at home today following months of illness and concert cancellations, his manager announced this afternoon. The singer was 60.

The Fall’s planned seven-night residency in Brooklyn next year — which were to be the band’s first U.S. dates in more than a decade — has been canceled, as Mark E. Smith continues to recuperate from the health problems that already had forced the rescheduling of those shows.

A month after returning to the stage in a wheelchair, Mark E. Smith’s health problems have forced the cancellation of three more concerts by The Fall this month, including, at the last minute, a gig in Bristol, England, last night and tonight’s planned performance in London. The band’s next scheduled shows are in New York in February.

Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs. All releases due out this Friday unless noted. This week’s releases include titles from the Ramones, The Fall, Big Country, Richard Hell and INXS.