General Public, English Beat Singer Ranking Roger Dead at 56

Ranking Roger, the co-founder of General Public and English Beat singer, died Tuesday after battling cancer.

English Beat announced Roger Charley's death ... telling fans he had "sadly passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side earlier today. Roger's family would like to thank everyone for their constant support during this tough time. Roger was a fighter."

Roger reportedly suffered a stroke last summer and was diagnosed with two brain tumors and lung cancer -- but no cause of death has been released yet.

The late singer was born in Birmingham, England, and fell in love with punk rock as a teenager. He went on to play drums with a group called the Dum Dum Boys ... before joining The English Beat in the late 1970s.

After The English Beat broke up in 1983, Roger and fellow Beat alum, Dave Wakeling started their new group, General Public ... which also included former members of The Clash and Dexys Midnight Runners.

GP recorded 3 albums, and their biggest hit in the U.S. was 1984's "Tenderness."