Kevin Garcia, longtime bassist of the band Grandaddy, died Tuesday from a stroke he suffered on Monday, May 1. Grandaddy confirmed his death via their website. See below for the full statement:
“There are no accurate words to express what we need to. We are absolutely shattered to say that we lost our friend and band mate Kevin Garcia early this afternoon. He succumbed to the effects of a massive stroke. We were all able to say goodbye to him and he was surrounded by his closest friends and family here in Modesto. Kevin started playing with Grandaddy when he was fifteen. He was an actual angel. He navigated life with a grace, a generosity and a kindness that was utterly unique. And contagious. He is loved so deeply by so many. Kevin was a proud father of two children, Jayden and Gavin. He is survived by his grandmother Joan, his parents Randy and Barbara (who let us practice at their house until 2001…and who are the best), his brothers Craig and Jeff and his wife Sondra.
We’ll have more to say in the days ahead. Right now the four of us are grieving together. With great sadness and love, Grandaddy.”
Garcia was only 41. Prior to the stroke, no news about his health had been released. After the stroke on Monday and before he passed, a GoFundMe account was created for his medical bills, which garnered $26,037 in one day. According to the web page, the money will still go to Garcia’s wife, Sondra, in order to help with funeral expenses, hospital bills and care for the couple’s two children.
Garcia was a founding member of Grandaddy, which is known for their neo-psychedelic indie pop originating out of Modesto, California. Other founding members include Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch. In 1995, Jim Fairchild and Tim Dryden also joined the band. Grandaddy released their first album, Under the Western Freeway, in 1997 via the record label Will, and received critical acclaim that compared them to Pavement and Weezer. Since then, the band has released four additional studio albums, with their most recent being released just this March via Columbia Records, titled Last Place. Prior to the recent album, the band had taken a six-year hiatus from 2006 to 2012, before reuniting for a series of shows throughout Europe.
Read our review of Last Place, and learn about Grandaddy’s recent involvement with the hidden camera show Trigger Happy TV.
The band was set to tour from May 7 through June in the United States, Canada, Spain and Italy, but have since cancelled the U.S. portion of the tour. In a statement, the band said, “Given the circumstances, we unfortunately have to cancel our upcoming U.S. tour dates. We hope to reschedule these at some point in the future.” The band’s european dates are still on their schedule. See below:
5/31-6/2/17: Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound Festival
6/4/17: Milan, Italy – Magnolia
6/5/17: Sestri Levanti, Italy – Teatro Arena Conchiglia
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