Juan Brujo, co-founder and frontman of Brujeria, has passed away

Juan Brujo, the co-founder and frontman of Brujeria, has passed away. He was 61 and he passed away on September 18 following complications from a heart attack. He suffered the heart attack on September 16 during a day off from the band’s ‘Mexorcista’ tour with GWAR. The band then cancelled all of their remaining tour dates afterward citing a "medical emergency". The band announced his passing in a statement on Instagram which reads in part,

Ha partido hacia el Panteón, el mero mero, el más chingón, ¡Juan Brujo! Y ahora, ¿quién nos va a ayudar?

It is with deep sadness we have to announce that our leader Juan Brujo has passed away today. Juan suffered a heart attack on early Monday morning, after a day off from the current Mexorcista tour in Saint Clairsville, Ohio. He was rushed to the nearest hospital in Wheeling, West Viriginia by emergency services, but, despite the medical team's greatest efforts, he died this morning. His family, friends and bandmates are devastated and wish to mourn in private, while they appreciate the fans' love and support.

El Brujo ha muerto, ¡que viva el Brujo!”

Brujeria was formed in 1989 and along with Juan Brujo, Dino Cazares, Jello Biafra, Pat Hoed, and Billy Gould made up the earliest version of the band. In 1992 Jello left the group and was replaced by Pinche Peach, who passed away earlier this year due to heart failure. Brujeria released their fifth album Esto Es Brujeria in 2023. We send our condolences to Juan Brujo’s family, friends, and fans.

Bert Susanka of The Ziggens, Skunk Records co-founder, passes away of ALS at 62

Sadly, Bert Susanka, frontman of Orange County band The Ziggens has passed away. He was 62 and had been battling ALS. Susanka was also a co-founder of Skunk records, the label that served as Sublime's launching pad. Of course, Susanka was a big influence on Sublime, with Sublime often covering or referencing Susanaka and Ziggens. Ziggens played with Sublime, No Doubt, Slightly Stoopid, Supernova, Mike Watt, The Vandals, Guttermouth, Voodoo Glowskulls, The Cadillac Tramps, and many, many more. Before his passing, unable to use his voice, Bert recorded an instrumental album which will feature vocals from his friends and peers alike. The Ziggens released their final album, Oregon in September 2021. You can see the family's statement below.

Chon Travis of Love Equals Death has passed away

Sadly, Chon Travis of Love Equals Death has passed away. No cause was given, but the band did issue a statement: "It’s with heavy hearts we tell the world this news: Yesterday at around 5pm, England time, we were getting ready to leave our hotel for our show in Stafford. We hadn’t heard from Chon in about an hour or so. He wasn’t answering his phone and we knocked on his door for 10 minutes before the hotel staff let us in. When we opened the door we found him on his bed with his guitar and unresponsive. We administered CPR for about 15 minutes before paramedics arrived. They continued to attempt to revive him. After another 45 minutes or so they let us know that Chon had passed. He did not use drugs and was in very good spirits for this entire tour. We are obviously in a complete state of shock and trying to figure things out right now. We will have more to say in coming days but right now we are asking for privacy as we process this and try to navigate our way back home. Please keep Chon’s family in your prayers.“

Dave Sweetapple of Witch, Eerie, and Sweet Apple has passed away

Dave Sweetapple, of Witch, Eerie, and Sweet Apple, has passed away. He was 58 years old. No cause of death has been made public at this time. Along with playing in bands Dave Sweetapple also worked with Mag Wheel Records and Tee Pee Records. Damian Abraham of Fucked Up paid tribute to him in an Instagram post that reads in part,

RIP DAVE SWEETAPPLE

The first time I met Dave was at the 2008 SXSW. I approached him and @jmascis at a show @fuckedup was playing and he immediately asked me is I knew about Sudden Impact and within minutes we were exchanging our favorite Schzoid songs and bonded for life.

Dave’s impact on music was immense and too big to sum up with a single band, really. While he certainly played in some amazing bands, he also took photos for countless zines and records (Dag Nasty’s 85-86, to name one). He also co-ran the awesomely underrated Mag Wheel Records, in its early years; as well as doing behind the scenes work at Tee Pee Records.

I can’t tell you how much it hurts to know I’ll never get to talk Maritimes punk and HC with him again. Sending love to the whole @dinosaurjr extended family. I love you all so much.

Roadburn Fest also paid tribute to Dave Sweetapple in an Instagram post which reads,

Dave Sweetapple left an indelible mark on the lives of many, many people and will be sorely missed. Not only was he a talented musician himself but he also nurtured creativity in others, as a mentor, facilitator, and guide.

His companionable manner and effervescent mischievousness marked him out as a one-off. He was a confidante, a supreme storyteller, a collaborator, and - most of all - a friend to us. Thank you for the good times, Dave, we couldn’t forget you if we tried.

We send our condolences to Dave Sweetapple’s family, friends, and fans.

Pat Collier, record producer and founding member of The Vibrators, has passed away

Pat Collier, record producer and former bassist for The Vibrators, has passed away. He was 72 years old. The band took to Facebook on July 28, 2024 to announce his passing in a statement that reads,

We are sorry to inform that Pat Collier, a founding member of The Vibrators, has passed today. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. R.I.P. Pat!

Pat Collier founded The Vibrators with Ian “Knox” Carnochan, John Ellis, and John “Eddie” Edwards in the 70s. As a producer he worked with many bands including The Jesus and Mary Chain, X-Ray Spex, Robyn Hitchcock, Soft Boys, UK Subs, and Primal Scream. Robyn Hitchcock took to Twitter to pay tribute to him in a thread that reads in part,

I heard the sad news today that Pat Collier passed away last night. Pat produced the bulk of the Soft Boys Underwater Moonlight album and went on to co-produce and engineer much of my solo work, from Black Snake Diamond Rôle to Jewels For Sophia

We discovered our own version of joy recording with Pat. He worked with many UK hitmakers in the 1980s & 90s, moving from his funky, spore-infested lair of Alaska Studios (under the railway arches at Waterloo) to the airy, spacious Greenhouse premises near Old Street.

Pat was always level, considerate, and open to ideas, with a keen sense of what would work, & what wouldn’t. I hadn’t seen him for ages. We never fell out, but he drifted further east, to studios on the South-East London, whilst I headed west, to Nashville & the Isle of Wight. He was a good man, I’m glad I got to work with him back in those earlier days, and I’m grateful. RIP Mr Collier.

We send our condolences to Pat Collier’s family, friends, and fans.

Adam Lewis of Fenix TX has passed away

Adam Lewis, founding member and bass player for Fenix TX, has passed away. He passed away at age 45 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The band announced his passing in a statement on Instagram that reads,

”We are heartbroken. There are no words that will do justice to the life Adam lived. A memorial fund has been created in his honor to care for the family he loved so dearly. We will do our best to honor his final wishes and make him proud. We love you Adam Lewis.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Adam Bryce Lewis. Original founding member and bass player of pop-punk MCA/Drive-Thru recording artist Fenix TX, Adam passed away June 5, 2024, surrounded by his family and close friends, after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.

Adam was born May 15, 1979, in Texas. He spent his early years in Houston where he met Damon De La Paz, William Salazar, and Donnie Reyes, and formed Riverfenix, later re-named Fenix TX. The Fenix TX members moved to Southern California to be closer to their management, MCA/Drive-Thru, and the SoCal music scene. Chris Lewis joined the band shortly thereafter. Fenix TX recorded several albums including their self-titled 1999 release Fenix TX, which reached #3 on Billboard’s “Top Heatseekers” chart. Multiple hit singles across their albums included “All My Fault,” “Threesome,” “Speechless,” “Katie W,” and “Phoebe Cates,” with videos for “All My Fault” and “Threesome” garnering airplay on MTV. “All My Fault” also reached #21 on Billboard’s “Modern Rock” chart after being integrated in the 2000 movie release of Jailbait. The early 2000s found Fenix TX opening for and performing with Blink-182, Bad Religion, New Found Glory, P.O.D., Good Charlotte, RX Bandits, Unwritten Law, Alien Ant Farm, Silverchair, The Ataris, and many others, including stints on the Vans Warped Tour. The band also performed at festivals in Europe such as Reading and Leeds, Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, and Pukkelpop.

Adam is survived by his life partner, Adrieanne Guerrero, and their children, Lennon (10) and Sloane (7).”

We send our condolences to Adam Lewis’ family, friends, and fans.

Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson of The Selecter has passed away

Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, vocalist for The Selecter, has passed away. The band released a statement on Instagram that reads,

”We are devastated to confirm that Selecter frontman Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson has died after a short illness. The world has lost a 2-Tone original, a talented musician and an absolute gentlemen. We have lost our beloved friend and bandmate. RIP Gaps”

The Selecter released Human Algebra last year. We send our condolences to Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson’s family, friends, and fans.

Douglas Scott Kane of Doug and the Slugz and The Generators has passed away

Douglas Scott Kane, lead singer of The Generators, Doug and the Slugz, and Schleprock, has passed away. He was 56 years old and passed away on May 30 following a battle with cancer. Doug and the Slugz announced his passing in an Instagram post which reads in part,

”Douglas Scott Kane left us at sunrise this morning. Over the last few months, Doug fought hard battling an aggressive form of cancer and it had come time for him to get the rest he so desired. Doug was a spiritual man and found comfort in knowing that he was going to cross over to heaven and join his mother, his father, his ancestors, and all the old friends that had passed before him.

[…]Doug was all in for his family, his friends, his music, his love, his rage, and his spiritual self. All of those that knew him were pulled into his orbit, and they were better off for it. Their lives became a little more interesting and a little more exciting for taking the ride. Doug always showed up, always put in the work, never did anything halfway, was fully committed…and he got there. Doug was complete. Doug was whole. Doug’s life wasn’t totally ordinary. Douglas Scott Kane was authentic.”

We send our condolences to Douglas Scott Kane’s family, friends, and fans.

Dennis Thompson, drummer for MC5, has passed away

Dennis Thompson, drummer for MC5, has passed away. He was the last surviving member of the band and passed away at the age of 75. He had been recovering following a heart attack he had suffered in April and passed after “a series of medical issues” as reports the Detroit Free Press. Dennis Thompson joined the band in 1968 and played with them until they broke up in 1972. He also played with the band from 2003-2012. He played in The New Order, New Race, The Motor City Bad Boys, and The Secrets. MC5 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and be presented with the Musical Excellence Award. We send our condolences to Dennis Thompson’s family, friends, and fans.

Steve Albini has passed away

Sadly, iconic engineer and musician Steve Albini has passed away. Albini was 61 and passed away of a heart attack at his recording studio, Electrical Engineering. Albini's band Shellac were preparing to tour- their new album To All Trains is out next week. As ou may know, in addition to his bands Shellac and Big Black, Albini recorded/engineered albums by Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Screaming Females, Leftover Crack, F-minus, OM, the Stooges, Jesus Lizard, Oxbow, and many more.

Gary Floyd of the Dicks has passed away

We are receiving reports from multiple sources that Gary Floyd of The Dicks has passed away. No cause of death was given. he was 71. Floyd is survived by his husband. Between the incarnations of the Dicks, Floyd was in sister Double Happiness and Black Kali Ma. We wish the best to Floyd's family.

Eddie Sutton of Leeway has passed away

Eddie Sutton of Leeway has passed away. He passed away on April 19, 2024 at the age of 59 after a battle with lung cancer. He had been moved to hospice on March 30, 2024. Eddie’s passing was announced in an Instagram post that reads,

”Edward Anthony Pomponio 
Passed 4/19/24 peacefully in his sleep.

We would like to invite all his extended family to come say good bye to our son and brother.

The wake will be held

Tuesday, 4/23/24

at Farenga Funeral Home

3808 Ditmars Blvd

Astoria, Queens NY 11105

From 3pm-8pm”

Leeway also posted a statement on Instagram which reads,

"On behalf of Leeway and all our Queens bretheren.. Thank you so much for all for outpouring love sent to our fallen brother and vocal hurricane that drove our music, Edward Anthony Pomponio. Our adventures together brought us to people and places far beyond the broken glass fields of Astoria Park..His charisma and voracity on stage inspired many with a style which hadn't been seen or heard. Eddie would want us all to echo and live by these words straight from his heart.. "Keep fighting for your life, your in a marathon race now!" #eddiesuttonforever"

We send our condolences to Eddie Sutton’s family, friends, and fans.