I am not sure that he did start ELO. I believe that he left The Move earlier, leaving songwriter Roy Wood to sing on their later hits. I think ELO was set up by Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, the latter leaving to set up Wizzard.
I think Carl Wayne sang for TV commercials, as did Mike D'Abo, earning a better living than pop music could offer him. I am sad to hear of his demise. "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" sounded pretty spectacular in its day. I quite liked The Move.