Tom Diaz, who co-founded the post-hardcore band The World Is A Beautiful Place and I’m No Longer Afraid To Die and served as vocalist for many of their earliest recordings, has died at the age of 32. Brooklyn Vegan reports that the band confirmed the sad news today on their Facebook page.
“We are incredibly heartbroken about the passing of Tom Diaz. He was an extremely talented artist, with such a huge amount of musicality. On top of all of that, he was an incredible friend,” the statement reads. The statement also adds that his family would appreciate donations to the Friends of Assisi Food Pantry in Danielson, CT.
Diaz was The World Is A Beautiful Place and I’m No Longer Afraid To Die’s singer from 2009-2012, singing on their EPs Formlessness and Josh is Dead as well as their debut full-length Whenever, If Ever. Following that album he left the band and was replaced by David Bello, the band’s current lead singer (and also contributed vocals to their debut LP). They were formed in Willimantic, CT in 2009 and have always had a very fluid lineup, with over 15 different members of the course of the band’s existence. Currently, the only original member still in The World Is A Beautiful Place and I’m No Longer Afraid To Die is Josh Cyr.
In the early days of The World Is A Beautiful Place and I’m No Longer Afraid To Die, the band was signed by notable indie/punk label Topshelf Records, releasing a pair of EPs and their first full-length with the label. After parting ways with Diaz, the band signed with mega-indie label Epitaph, who released the band’s last two LPs, Harmlessness and Always Foreign. They have since released some EPs through Topshelf as well as Broken World Media. Check out the EP that Diaz was a major part of, Formlessness, below.
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