Violinist Giles Broadbent has died at the age of 51.

His death following a “short illness” was announced on Thursday by his family and music group.

Broadbent, who was married to former Blue Peter star Diane Louise Jordan, had led orchestras for several West End shows including Sunset Boulevard, Phantom Of The Opera and My Fair Lady.

He was also part of the quartet Stringfever – which formed in 2003 – alongside his younger brothers, Ralph and Neal, and cousin Graham.

“Although Giles had not been well recently, we as a family are still in shock at his passing,” a statement shared with the PA news agency said.

“The band will be taking a break whilst we make funeral arrangements.”

Stringfever are known for their version of Ravel’s Bolero, where all four players play on one cello at the same time, which was uploaded to YouTube and has more than a million views.

The band, who play a mixture of classical music, movie soundtracks and rock classics, have toured throughout the world including almost 20 US tours and in venues like the Opera House in Mumbai, India, and the Beijing Music Festival in China.

They are also known for their radio and TV performances including on BBC Radio 2.

Broadbent studied at the Royal Academy of Music and in 2015 he and Ralph were awarded the prestigious title of associate of the London school (ARAM).

The accolade is presented to alumni who have “contributed significantly to the music profession”.

Broadbent is survived by his wife, Diane, and their daughter and grandchildren.

The family asked for privacy at this time.