Sigur Rós drummer Orri Páll Dýrason quits band amid rape claim Published duration 1 October 2018

image copyright Getty Images image caption Orri Páll Dýrason had been in Sigur Rós since 1999

Drummer Orri Páll Dýrason has quit the Icelandic avant-rock band Sigur Rós after a rape allegation.

Los Angeles artist Meagan Boyd made the allegation in a now-deleted Instagram post, claiming Mr Dýrason raped her twice when they shared a bed in 2013.

The band said in a Facebook post they had accepted his resignation to let him handle the "extremely serious" claims "privately".

The drummer has defended himself in a post on Facebook.

Thanking friends and family for their trust, "despite the serious public allegations against me", Mr Dýrason asked people to "stay calm" and stressed these "are not court proceedings, just Meagan's words against mine, on the internet".

"I cannot have these serious allegations influence the band and the important and beautiful work that has been done there for the last years."

Rolling Stone magazine saw Ms Boyd's Instagram post before it was deleted.

Ms Boyd says she did not report the alleged assault and kept it quiet for six years for many reasons.

"I felt no-one would believe me," the post reportedly said. "I felt I had been irresponsible for trusting him just because he was in a band I loved and I respected him as an artist."

Ms Boyd also reportedly said she was inspired to relate her allegations publicly due to the testimony of Prof Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Sigur Rós formed in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, in 1994.

The group have released seven studio albums - the most recent, Kveikur, in 2013.

Mr Dýrason joined in 1999 after the band's drummer left following the recording of their second album, Ágætis byrjun.