Noel Vasquez, Getty Images Primus frontman Les Claypool is sad to report that his nephew Matthew has passed away after struggling with Infant’s leukemia for the past two years. The bassist-singer brought Matthew’s struggle to light last year when auctioning off one of his basses to raise funds to help offset his brother’s family’s mounting medical costs. Claypool auctioned one of his rare protype Pachyderm basses hoping that it would fetch a large sum and it did with the winning bidder raising the price to $50.6K. During the bidding process itself, Claypool posted online at how overwhelmed he was by how far people were willing to go to help out . In his Facebook posting , Claypool reveals that young Matthew died Friday (Feb. 8) while staying at the St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis. His message reads as follow: Hello everyone, I am sad to report that my little nephew Matthew Pierce who has come to be known as Baby Matthew has passed on from complications related to his more than two year struggle with Infant’s leukemia. He passed this evening (Friday, February 8) just after 7pm pacific time at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis Tennessee. My heart aches for my Brother Ron, his wife Aimee and his kids Isaiah, Noah and Lilly. It has been an extraordinarily tough road for my Bro and his family and I want to thank everyone who has reached out to help them over the past couple years. The amount of support they have received has been phenomenal and very touching. Matthew was a tough little guy who beat the odds for much longer than anyone every thought. Because of him and his tenacious struggle, there has been more knowledge accumulated in the procedures of how to treat Infant’s Leukemia and the potential for survival is that much greater. Even though he was just a tot, he has done a great service to those future children who may be misfortunate enough to contract this mysterious and deadly disease. Thank you all once again for your kind thoughts and generosity. Les Claypool Meanwhile, Matthew’s parents posted their own update at the BabyMatthew.org website. It reads as follows: The Lord has decided that this sweet boy has suffered enough and he took him home tonight. We are so broken but I find much comfort in knowing that tonight…right now he’s laughing…running…playing the drums to his heart content. It was such an honor to love and cherish someone as special as Matthew Robert Pierce. Momma loves you. Our precious baby Matthew was born on July 14, 2010 at 2:59pm, Weighing a healthy 8lbs 13oz and 21 inches long to parents Ron Pierce and Aimee Grijalva and brother to Izahia and sister Noa. They were so happy and had the family they always dreamed of. On September 22, 2010 after a follow up doctor’s appointment their dream became a nightmare, Baby Matthew was airlifted to Stanford and the family was told the worst news anyone could ever imagine. Baby Matthew was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and was now fighting for his life. At only 2 months old he is fighting the odds and doctors are calling him a “miracle”. Baby Matthew and his family have a long road ahead of them. We ask that you please keep them in your prayers, and if you would like to donate to help with expenses, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for all your prayers and support. To read more about baby Matthew, additional information on leukemia or to make a donation, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dean-hocking-death-2012/” title=”See the Rockers We Lost in 2012″ align=”center”]
Bryan Carlstrom: Official Facebook Acclaimed sound engineer Bryan Carlstrom ( Alice in Chains , the Offspring ) has tragically passed away at the age of 51. Carlstrom was one of the most important engineers/producers in the world of hard rock, modern punk and metal, having contributed to well over 100 albums, including engineering the Alice in Chains masterpiece ‘Dirt’ and the Offspring favorites ‘Ixnay on the Hombre’ and ‘Americana.’ Bryan Carlstrom left behind an incredible legacy in production, engineering, mixing and mastering. Along with Alice in Chains and the Offspring, Carlstrom worked with significant acts such as Anthrax , Rob Zombie , Social Distortion , Public Image Ltd. and Queen. As of this posting, the cause of Carlstrom’s death has not been made public, but the Offspring’s Dexter Holland paid tribute to the life of the ‘Ixnay on the Hombre’ and ‘Americana’ engineer via the band’s Facebook page: “R.I.P. Bryan Carlstrom … Godspeed … As the engineer on ‘Ixnay’ and ‘Americana,’ he brought out the best in us.” Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian also posted a short tribute on his Twitter account : “RIP Bryan Carlstrom. Great guy, great engineer, we’re a better band for knowing you.” Along with these musicians, a multitude of fans flocked to Bryan Carlstrom’s personal Facebook page to post memorial after memorial for the brilliant studio mastermind. We would like to send our thoughts and best wishes to the family and friends of Bryan Carlstrom. Enjoy his work with Alice in Chains in the player below: Alice in Chains, ‘Would?’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dean-hocking-death-2012/” title=”See the Rockers We Lost in 2012″ align=”center”]
The metal world has been severely shaken since the death of Suicide Silence vocalist Mitch Lucker . The vocalist struck a light pole on Halloween night while riding his 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle, dying from his injuries early the next morning. In memory of Mitch Lucker and for the benefit of his 5-year-0ld daughter Kenadee, Suicide Silence have started an official donation page with all proceeds going towards Kenadee’s education fund. For those who donate $20 or more to the fund, you’ll receive a memorial Mitch Lucker t-shirt, pictured left. For any donation under $20, your name will be added to a tribute page coming soon on SuicideSilence.net. As publicly revealed by the wife of Mitch Lucker, the singer had issues with alcohol that led to his fatal motorcycle crash. “He was an alcoholic, and it’s been a big battle,” said Lucker’s wife at a candlelight vigil . “I tried to stop him. I was in front of him begging him not to leave the house. Begging him, ‘Just seriously, for us, don’t leave,’ and he did. And this is what happened.” To donate any amount of money to the Mitch Lucker Memorial Fund, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/joe-siracuse-death-2012/” title=”See the Rockers We’ve Lost in 2012″ align=”center”]
Beyond The Bridge, Facebook Musician and producer Simon Oberender, who played guitar and keyboards for the German progressive metal band Beyond the Bridge, has passed away. Beyond the Bridge released their debut album ‘The Old Man and the Spirit’ earlier this year, and played ProgPower USA in Atlanta less than two weeks ago, the band’s first U.S. show. Oberender was also the keyboardist for Amanda Somerville’s band Trillium. The cause of death has not been announced. In an interview with About.com Heavy Metal earlier this year, guitarist Peter Degenfeld explained how Oberender came to join Beyond the Bridge. “Christopher (Tarnow, one of the band’s founders) met Simon during his studies and they became good friends. After finishing University, Simon went to the Gate Studios in Wolfsburg where he is now a sound engineer and producer. He also recorded, mixed, mastered (together with Sascha Paeth) and produced ‘The Old Man And The Spirit.’ Simon also brought Fabian (drums) and Herbie (vocals) to the band.” Oberender appeared on several other albums, including Avantasia’s 2010 releases ‘The Wicked Symphony’ and ‘Angel of Babylon,’ Edguy’s ‘Age of the Joker’ (2011), Epica’s ‘Requiem for the Indifferent’ (2012), Rhapsody of Fire’s ‘The Frozen Tears of Angels’ (2010) and Kamelot’s ‘Silverthorn,’ which will be released next month. As an engineeer, Oberender worked on albums by Avantasia, Destination’s Calling, Edguy, Epica, Mayan and others. The band has posted a photo of Oberender on their Facebook page with the message, “We deeply mourn the passing away of Simon Oberender, our producer, band-mate, and above all, best friend there will ever be. There are no words that could describe our loss. Simon, we will always miss you!” Loudwire offers its deepest condolences to Simon Oberender’s family and bandmates. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/adam-yauch-death-2012/” title=”See the Rockers We’ve Lost in 2012″ align=”center”] ?
Stone Temple Pilots fans in Abbotsford, British Columbia, last night (Sept. 17) had to exercise an extreme amount of patience in order to see the band play live as the rockers finally took to the stage two hours after the opening band without any explanation to ticket-holders regarding their tardiness. According to fan reports, the opening act went on promptly at 8:30 and then concertgoers were left in suspense for
Hard rock fans descended upon Toronto over the weekend for the Heavy T.O. Festival, and they now have a reason now to come back in September. Both Rob Zombie and Anthrax‘s Frank Bello are among the rockers that will be featured during the Toronto International Film Festival next month. As previously reported, Zombie will debut his ‘The Lords of Salem‘ film at the event and is expected to attend, while
Papa Roach may be over a decade into their career, but that doesn’t mean the rockers are slowing down any. In fact, they’ve established themselves as one of the best live acts in the hard rock scene, with plenty of energy, a solid catalog of songs, and the drive to stay on top. As the band prepare to release a new album, they’ve signed on to take part in the