Sadly, "Big" Bob Clark of Agression passed away earlier this week. Clark was a founding member of the group and played bass. A cause of death was not given, but the passing was confirmed by Punk Rock Bowling. Punknews sends its condolences to Clark's family, friends, and fans.
Benjamin Vallé, guitarist and founding member of Sweden's Viagra Boys, has passed away. He was 47 years old. No cause of death has been revealed. The band announced his passing in a post on Instagram that reads,
"Verified it brings me great sadness to say that our beloved friend and founding member of viagra boys, Benjamin, has passed. Benjamin was loving and kind and the sweet memories we have together are countless. i cant stop crying while going through pictures of you but also laughing because you were one of the funniest, goofiest, people i had the pleasure of knowing. benjamin or ‘benis’ as we knew him, spread laughter and happiness wherever he went and i will cherish the memories we have of touring the world together. Benjamin, we love you with all of our hearts and Viagra Boys would have been nothing without you. This planet just lost one the good ones. I hope you’re somewhere up in space telling bad jokes to an alien. Goodnight my sweet boy. I’ll love you forever. Raise your glasses for benis. its what he’d have wanted."
Benjamin Vallé was a member of hardcore punk band Nine before going on to found Viagra Boys in 2015 along with Sebastian Murphy, Martin Ehrencron, Oskar Carls, Henrik Höckert, and Tor Sjödén. He played on their three EPs and two albums. Their second album Welfare Jazz was released earlier this year. We send our condolences to Benjamin Vallé's family, friends, and fans.
Julz Sale, lead guitarist, singer, and co-founder of Leeds post-punk band Delta 5, has passed away. Her age and cause of death has not been released. Record label Rough Trade announced her passing in a statement that reads in part,
" We are very sad to learn of the passing of Julz Sale, Delta 5 founding member and former employee of the Rough Trade label.
RIP x"
Julz Sale co-founded Delta 5 in 1970s with Ros Allen and Bethan Peters, drummer Kelvin Knight and guitarist Alan Riggs joined the band later. Delta 5 put out their first single "Mind Your Own Business" in 1979 and released their only album, See The Whirl in 1981. The band broke up after the album was released and Julz Sale went on to work at Rough Trade. A compilation of early Delta 5 songs called Singles & Sessions 1979-1981 was released by Kill Rock Stars in 2006. Kill Rock Stars also released a statement that reads in part,
"Julz Sale's contribution to punk, post-punk and music at large will be felt forever. We are gutted by the news of her passing. She was a delight to know and will be missed immensely."
We send our condolences to Julz Sale's family, friends, and fans.
Sadly, according to the Jamaican Observer, reggae icon Lee Scratch Perry has passed away. He was 85. The cause of death was not given, but he passed away this morning at Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea.
As you likely know, Perry was an inventor of reggae and dub, and produced thousands of songs, including works by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Junior Murvin, Max Romeo, Susan Cadogan, Jah Lion, and many, many more. We send our condolences to Perry's family, friends, and fans.
Sadly, Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones has passed away. He was 80 and passed away peacefully in a London hospital, surrounded by family. Watts was a founding member of the Rolling Stones and has drummed for the band since formation. His publicist stated: "Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation." We send our condolences to Watts' family and friends.
Dusty Hill, the bassist for ZZ Top, has passed away. He was 72 and passed in his sleep at his home in Houston, Texas. No cause of death has been revealed. Last week Dusty Hill had to drop off ZZ Top's ongoing tour due to hip issues. Bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard have released a statement which reads,
We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX. We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top'. We will forever be connected to that "Blues Shuffle in C.
You will be missed greatly, amigo.
Frank & Billy
Dusty Hill joined ZZ Top in 1970 and played on all of the band's albums, the last of which was La Futura in 2012. Along with bass, Dusty Hill also contributed to keyboards and backing and lead vocals. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. ZZ Top announced that they will be continuing the tour with guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass and will be continuing the band in accordance with Dusty Hill's wishes. We send our condolences to Dusty Hill's family, friends, and fans.
Joey Jordison, a founding member and the former drummer of Slipknot has passed away. He was 46. A statement released by his family reads,
We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021. He was 46.
Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow.
To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music.
The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.
The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.
Slipknot have honoured his memory with a social media blackout. Joey Jordison played in Slipknot from the band's forming in 1995 until 2013. In 2016 he announced that he suffered from a neurological disease called transverse myelitis that greatly affected his ability to play drums. He also played with Scar the Martyr, Vimic, Murderdolls, Rob Zombie, Sinsaenum, Modifidious and Ministry over the course of his career. We send our condolences to Joey Jordison's family, friends, and fans.
Bryan St. Pere, drummer of Hum, has passed away. He was 52 and no cause of death has been released. His bandmates shared a statement on the band's social media platforms that reads,
"It is with very heavy hearts and tear filled eyes that we share the news that our beloved friend and bandmate, Bryan St. Pere, has passed away. We are devastated and deeply saddened by his sudden, and unexpected passing. Bryan was a dear friend, a loving father, brother, and was an incredible person and musician. We all feel extremely lucky to have shared time and space with him. Peace and love to all who knew Bryan, and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. -Jeff, Matt, and Tim"
Bryan St. Pere joined Hum in 1990 and played on all of the band's five albums. Hum surprise released their first album in 22 years, Inlet in 2020. We send our condolences to Bryan St. Pere's family, friends, and fans.
Brendan "Stu" Maguire, bassist/guitarist of Reach The Sky and bass player for Bane, has passed away. He had been battling an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer for two years and passed on the night of June 27. Sunny Singh of hate5six shared the news along with a video of Bane's 2016 farewell show along with this statement,
"Last night, June 27, 2021, Brendan Stu Maguire of Bane/Reach the Sky passed away surrounded by friends, family and bandmates.
I never shared this. This was moments after Bane played their final note. When I think of this band I think about how deeply they all love each other. It showed in their music and it showed in them as people.
I'm with Stu forever."
Brendan Maguire was a member of Bane for six years and played on their Los Angeles 3:58pm and Boston 6:58pm EPs among other releases. He also worked with Dropkick Murphys and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones over the course of his career. A fundraising event called "We're With Stu" was announced on June 15 and is scheduled for July 2 at Boston's House of Blues with Bouncing Souls, Sick of It All, H2O, and Rebuilder scheduled to play. We send our condolences to Brendan "Stu" Maguire's family, friends, and fans.
Sadly, San Francisco punk promoter Scott Alcoholocaust (real name Scott Rogers) passed away late last week. He was 54. Scott had been battling prostate cancer for about 18 months. Scott booked shows in the Bay area for decades and is estimated to have organized over 4,000 shows. We send our condolences to Scott's family and friends.
Sadly, last night, news broke that Emily Matview of Punks in Vegas had passed away. Punks in Vegas has been posting video, pictures, interviews, and reviews of bands for over 10 years, centered on the Las Vegas area. Matview recnetly debuted a photo exhibit in the city. No cause of death was announced. We send our condolences to Matview's family and friends.
We are afraid that we have tragic news to report. Jack Terricloth has passed away. He was 50. The cause of death was not revealed.
The band released a statement, which you can read below.
Terricloth was born Peter Ventantonio. As a teenager, he was a member of the punk band Neurotic Impulse. After that band broke, he formed Sticks and Stones. His friend and long time collaborator Scott Hollingsworth would also play in that band. After Sticks and stones ended, Terricloth and Hollingsworth formed World/Inferno Friendship Society, one of the most unique and greatest punk bands of all time. The band would release a string of albums, including the iconic Red Eyed Soul and Addicted to Bad Ideas, which was an entire stage show based on the life of Peter Lorre. The last WIFS album was All Borders Are Porous to Cats .
Jack and the rest of World/Inferno played several Punknews events and each of those shows were among the best concerts we have ever seen. Terricloth was a living noir character that you could never quite fully understand. His talent was beyond the starts. We will miss him greatly. There will never be another. Rest in Peace and may you sing along with the Great Pumpkin.
Sadly, sometime yesterday, Shock G aka Humpty Hump aka Greg Jacobs, founder and frontman of Digital Underground passed away. He was 57. He was found dead in a Florida hotel room.
DU co-founder Chopmaster J posted on Instagram: "“34 years ago almost to the day we had a wild idea we can be a hip hop band and take on the world through it all the dream became a reality and the reality became a nightmare for some…. Long live shock G Aka Humpty Hump.”
The group was founded in the mid 80s, and essentially disbanded in 2008. However, DU did a few shows after the official end of the group. Shock G had been relatively quiet since the early 2010s. We send our condolences to Shock G's family, friends, and fans.
Sadly, Rob Vitale of Black Train Jack and Nine Lives passed away on Sunday. The cause of death was complications from COVID-19. Black Train Jack was formed in the early '90s with Token Entry's Ernie Parada. After that band ended, Vitale formed Nine Lives. We send our condolences to Vitale's family, friends, and fans.
>Matt “Money” Miller, founding keyboardist of Titus Andronicus, has passed away. He was 34. No cause of death has been released. Titus Andronicus frontman and Matt Miller’s cousin Patrick Stickles released a statement on the band’s Twitter account that reads,
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you the sudden and untimely death of Matt "Money" Miller, founding keyboardist of Titus Andronicus, cover model of "A Productive Cough," lead vocalist of "Home Alone (On Halloween)," my beloved cousin and the dearest friend I ever had
You may recognize him as the bartender from the "STACKS" sitcom -- he was also the hypeman on "Real Talk" and a featured backup singer on many, many Titus Andronicus tracks
It's hard to know what to say, but I am trying to put gratitude first, as the 34 years that we spent together will forever be one of my life's greatest blessings
"Until the day we meet again / in my heart is where I'll keep you, friend"
RIP Matt Miller (1987-2021)”.
Matt Miller contributed to The Monitor in 2010, The Most Lamentable Tragedy in 2015 and Home Alone on Halloween EP in 2018. We send our condolences to Matt Miller’s family and friends.
Sadly, an icon of music format recently passed away. Lou Ottens, who is credited with leading the invention of cassette tapes, passed away on Saturday at the age of 94. He is also one of the contributors to the invention of the compact disc.
While working for Dutch-based Philips, Ottens wanted to create a smaller, cheaper version of the clunky reel-to-reel music format. In 1963, the "compact cassette" was released to the world. Interestingly, in later years, Ottens himself stated that tape was "prone to noise" and distortion and believed that compact discs were superior. We send our condolences to Ottens' family. A longer retrospective of Ottens' life can be found at NPR.