In Memoriam - Page 24

Andy Hummel, original bassist for the 70s power pop group Big Star, has passed away after a 2-year battle with cancer. He was 59. This comes just months after the loss of the group’s singer, Alex Chilton. Big Star’s early three-album career influenced many rock bands that followed them, including R.E.M., The Replacements, and The Posies. The younger generation might...

Original Kinks bassist Pete Quaife passed away June 24th at the age of 66. The exact cause of death is uncertain, but he had been going through kidney dialysis treatments over the last 10 years. Quaife was a founding member of the Kinks, which hit the scene in 1962 and was a part of the British Invasion. It was during...

Marvin Isley, bassist of the popular ‘70s and ‘80s funk group the Isley Brothers, has passed away June 6 in Chicago, Illinois. He was 56. Isley was not the first bassist for the group, (he later joined when he was old enough), founded by brothers O’Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald. It was during this period that the Isleys had released their...

Type O Negative bassist and frontman Peter Steele has passed away at the age of 48. Though an autopsy has yet to be done, it seems Steele died of heart failure. A statement issued by his family said he “died suddenly Wednesday, April 14, 2010, after a short illness…” Steele’s passing has come as a shock to those around him....

John Ciambotti, bass player for the band Clover, passed away this week at the age of 67 from an abdominal aneurysm. Ciambotti and Clover backed up Elvis Costello on his debut album, My Aim is True, and reunited with him in 2007 to play the album live at fundraisers in San Francisco. He also found session work with artists including...

Geoff Lloyd, who co-founded and played bass for the popular Canadian rock group, the Matthew Good Band, passed away this weekend. The cause of death has not been made public, but a Facebook post states that “Geoff had been fighting his inner demons for a number of years, and they finally got the better of him.” Lloyd was the bassist...

Chris Feinstein, who found success as the bassist for Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, has passed away at the age of 42. The cause of death is still unknown, but it was reported that he was found in his Manhattan apartment on Monday morning. His label, Lost Highway Records, issued this statement: “It is with great sadness to report that...

Jeff Clyne, one of the best jazz bassists to come out of the UK, passed away on November 16th of a heart attack. Clyne, who was 72, broke onto the scene in the 1950’s, and in 1958 joined Tubby Hayes’ band, the Jazz Couriers. In 1965, Clyne played on Stan Tracey’s classic album “Under Milk Wood,” and later became a...

On October 21st 2009 legendary free jazz bassist and composer Norris Jones, better known as Sirone, passed away at the age of 69 in Berlin, Germany. Sirone was part of Revolutionary Ensemble, a jazz group formed in 1971 which featured violinist Leroy Jenkins, drummer Jerome Cooper and Sirone on bass. The group was one of the most innovative at the...

Dickie Peterson, bassist of the legendary rock group Blue Cheer, passed away on October 12th, 2009 in Germany at the age of 63. Peterson had been fighting prostate and liver cancer and developed a fatal infection after a surgical procedure. Peterson’s relationship to music was intense. “I’ve been married twice, I’ve had numerous girlfriends, and they’ll all tell you that...

Trial bassist Brian Redman was involved in a fatal car accident this weekend. Trial has been an influential hardcore band since 1994, working “desperately to communicate their infusion of activism, emotion, anger and intensity in a world where people are more comfortable remaining sedate.” A recent MySpace blog post by guitarist Timm McIntosh eulogizes the loss of Redman: “Funny thing...

Rock bassist Mickie Jones passed away Saturday, September 5th, 2009 after battling liver cancer. According to his family he died “peacefully and beautifully” in San Dimas, California. From a brief bio on Blabbermouth.net: “Mickie performed on four Angel albums — ‘Angel’ (1975), ‘Helluva Band’ (1976), ‘On Earth As It Is In Heaven’ (1977) and ‘An Anthology’ (1992; compilation). He toured...