My Bandmate Died Last Night

[Ricardo]

RIP my friend and very talented guitarist of 10+ years....died in his sleep last night....only 62 years old.
I'm still a bit in shock....

[CycleDude]

OMG, I'm so sorry for your loss

[MDK]

Very sorry man, lost my neighbor, bass player and friend a few months back as well.

[rickthedrummer]

Hate to read that. Sorry Rick.

I went through that in 1991. My best friend, bass player, and just an all around good guy.

Heart attack.............41 years old.

[drummer]

It's always hard when someone close to us dies. Sorry for your loss my friend.

[Drumolator]

Six people whom I have played music with have passed away. It is a very hard thing to go through. Peace and goodwill.

[slanddad]

Just reading this.Real sorry for your loss.

[Ricardo]

Many thanks to all of you guys.
I found out about the loss of yet another friend just yesterday; not a musician, but a lover of music.
Getting old is not for sissies.......

[pgm554]

Hey,we're supposed to be living well into our 70's these days.
A lot of my old band mates didn't make it out of their early 50's/ 60's.
Lifestyle habits like it or not ,do take a toll.
Say what you want about the drug crisis,but most of my friends died early via tobacco and alcohol.
Look at Phil Kenamore and Leonard Haze from Y&T.
Lung cancer and COPD.

[Ricardo]

A good friend has a gig already booked Friday night at a local rock club -- he is calling an audible....
Instead of the usual gig, he is having a music tribute night dedicated to our fallen buddy and family.
This is a great idea that he would have loved....I expect to see a bunch of musician friends there....

[Ricardo]

We made it through the music tribute at a local club last night....and....the conventional memorial service today at the church.
All of it was well presented and complimentary of our guitarist-friend. We will all miss him.

[Bish]

Glad it went well!

[Ricardo]

For the first time in 10 years, I am without a (full) band, without gigs, and not happy with the selection of local venues.
To make things worse, my 69th birthday is this coming Saturday......not feeling like a rock drummer lately.
I confess, I have not tried to repair any of this just yet.
This too shall pass....

[drummer]

For the first time in 10 years, I am without a (full) band, without gigs, and not happy with the selection of local venues.
To make things worse, my 69th birthday is this coming Saturday......not feeling like a rock drummer lately.
I confess, I have not tried to repair any of this just yet.
This too shall pass....

Allow yourself some time to grief. These things aren't easy. And the age? Fuggetaboutit Most of it's a mental game. Commit to being 69 'young' and you will be. Life is peaks and valleys. Sounds like you're in a valley. Nowhere to go but up!

[slanddad]

I am 66, no band in over 35 years. Crank up some tunes through a powered speaker and rock out. Screw the neighbors.

[rickthedrummer]

Long ago, in a country far, far away, an Army Sgt. told me over a beer that the longer you live, the more people you bury. I was 21 years old and didn't give it much thought later that day.

Now as I head towards 76, I think about what he said almost every day. I don't miss Jersey at all but I have a lot of friends there. As the years go by I find myself calling old friends less and less as I get older because so many times the conversation starts like this: " Rick, do you remember so and so, well he/she............................................... ..".

Must be time for scotch.

[pgm554]

My sister lives in my old hometown and the conversation usually starts off like that.
Had a friend I went to college with that found me on LinkedIn.
Conversation turned to health and she informs me she has stage 4 lung cancer.
Never smoked a day in her life.
Passed last January.

[rickthedrummer]

My sister lives in my old hometown and the conversation usually starts off like that.
Had a friend I went to college with that found me on LinkedIn.
Conversation turned to health and she informs me she has stage 4 lung cancer.
Never smoked a day in her life.
Passed last January.

Lung cancer is not exclusive to smokers just as breast cancer is not exclusive to women. Men can have breast cancer.

Personally I think that 1 should be able to choose how we leave life behind. I choose Megan Fox and Emily Compagno.

I want to shuffle off this mortal coil with a smile on my face!!!!

[inthpktplayer]

Makes you not want to go to sleep............

[Bish]

Makes you not want to go to sleep............

Got no time for that. Too much to do. Sleep later, baggie eye lids now. Sigh.......LOL

[Ricardo]

My band is moving forward.....even though we are still in a state of shock.
We now have a new rehearsal space.
And we will have an well-known excellent guitarist visit us in January for a "no obligation jam" just to see if anything clicks.
Might work out well........

[slanddad]

Good for you.Hope things turn out well.

[Ricardo]

Thank you, dad.
The guys are excited to play again.