Alex Brown of Gorilla Biscuits passes away

Alex Brown of Gorilla Biscuits has passed away. he was 52. GB Frontman Anthony Civarelli posted on social media: “The world lost a son, brother, uncle, artist, musician and loving friend this week. I lost my bandmate and friend of over 30 years, a piece of my heart died this week and all I can do is think of all the fun, shows, meals flights and trips we had together. All the late night talks and all the early morning hangs with him and my wife and kids. There will never be another alex brown.” The cause of death was complications following a basal ganglia stroke. Brown had also played in Side by Side and Project X.

Bruce Corbitt of Warbeast/Rigor Mortis passes away

Bruce Corbitt, vocalist of thrash metal acts Rigor Mortis and Warbeast has passed away at the age of 56. Bruce had been in a two-year battle against esophageal cancer.

Corbitt released eight albums with Rigor Mortis in their 35 year career (not counting the decade plus-long hiatus from '92 to '05), and four albums with Warbeast since 2010.

Punknews sends our thoughts to Corbitt's family and friends.

Len Rokk of Isocracy and Filth has passed away

Unfortunately, just before the New Year, Lenny Johnson aka Lenn Rokk of Filth, Isocracy, and Strychnine passed away. He was 49. Johnson had been suffering from cancer for some time before his passing. Starting February 8, there will be a three day event celebrating Johnson's life in the Bay Area. You can see the details for that here.

Sponge Bob creator Stephen Hillenburg passes away

Unfortunately, Stephen Hillenburg, the man who created Sponge Bob Squarepants, has passed away. He was 57. Hillenburg was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, but remained active in Sponge Bob projects until recently. Hillenburg and the rest of the Sponge Bob crew would often slip Punk and alt-rock bands into Spongebob projects including contributions from Motorhead, Lux Interior of The Cramps, The Flaming Lips, The Dwarves, and Bob Kulick of the Alice Cooper band. Hear some of those below.

Todd Youth has passed away

Sadly. Todd Youth passed away earlier Friday night or Saturday at the age of 47. A veteran punk and metal musician, Youth played and recorded with Murphy's Law, Warzone, Danzig, Bloodclot, D Generation, Fireburn, and many, many more acts. He also stood as a stand-in guitarist for a few Motorhead dates and even served as a studio musician for Glen Campbell. The cause of death is currently unknown. Hear some of Youth's recordings below.

Johnny Strike of Crime passes away

Johnny Strike, born Gary John Bassett, of first wave San Francisco punkers Crime has passed away. He was 70 and had been battling cancer for some time. During their original run, Crime issued three singles in the late '70s and early '80s. After their initial six year span, they would later issue a demo collection called San Francisco's Doomed and finally, in 2013 Murder by Guitar, which was a discography of their officially released studio material. The band also reunited in the 2000s and released a few studio albums, live released, and 7-inch records. Crime would influence many punk rockers, including Tesco Vee, Jello Biafra, Mario Rubalcaba, and Todd Swalla.

Randy Rampage of DOA passes away

Randy Rampage of D.O.A. passed away earlier this week. Rampage played bass on the D.O.A. classics Hardcore '81 and Something Better Change. After leaving the band in 1981, he played with several bands, including Annihilator and Stress Factor Nine. He returned to D.O.A. several times in the 2000s and appeared on a few of the band's latter day albums. Hear some of his recordings below.

Steve Soto of the Adolescents has passed away

Sadly, Steve Soto of Adolescents passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday. Bandmate Dan Root stated, "I'm sorry to break such bad news in such an impersonal way, but the family of Steve Soto would like everyone to know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep today. I'm sure this is a terrible blow to all of you. He will be missed. We will be posting details on a memorial as plans are finalized." Frontier Records stated, "We are shocked & saddened to confirm that our wonderful friend Steve Soto passed away in his sleep. An immeasurable loss to music & humanity, the shock has yet to really sink in…"

The band had just completed an East Coast tour and was planning a European tour for early July. Soto had a long career in punk rock having also played with and contributed to recordings by Agent Orange, Manic Hispanic, 22 Jacks, Joyride, CJ Ramone, and many more. He was 54.

Ralph Santolla dead at 51

Metal guitarist Ralph Santolla (Millenium, Deicide, Obituary) has died at the age of 51 after falling into a coma following a heart attack. His family made the decision to remove him from life support on Jun 6th, and he passed soon thereafter.

Santolla performed in many bands throughout his career, most notably Deicide and Obituary, and also released two solo albums.

Punknews expresses our condolences and thoughts to Santolla's family, friends, and fans.

Anthony Bourdain has passed away

Celebrity Chef and punk rocker Anthony Bourdain passed away yesterday at age 61. Bourdain was working on an episode of his show “Parts Unknown” in France when he died. The cause of death has been stated as suicide. In 2015, Bourdain appeared on Damian Abraham's podcast where he detailed his early punk years. Hear that right here.