Aaron Fuller of Plan 9 (-2008)

Aaron Fuller, lead singer of the Misfits-inspired punk band Plan 9, died late on Monday night in San Francisco from a motorcycle accident. While traveling home, Fuller went off the side of an overpass then died on impact. The accident is still under investigation by police who are unsure of the exact cause.

The band made a statement today:

I keep calling people to make sure it's for real and I'm not making some fucked-up mistake. If only… I know he was real happy with the new CD and was looking forward to doing gigs with us. Who knows what he would've done if he'd had the time. He was the type of person who could do whatever he set his mind to. Plan 9 was proof of that. He'd never been in a band before, or wanted to, for that matter. But he came in from day one and kicked it's ass.

. Will we carry on ..? I think so. Aaron would have wanted it that way. It was a true honor to play with him and to know and ride with him.

Our deepest condolences to Aaron's friends and family.

Willy Graves (1980-2008)

Willy Graves, formerly of The Plot To Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, has passed away. His former bandmates made the announcement via their myspace page:

As I'm sure many of you have already heard, our dear friend Willy Graves passed away Sunday, September 14th. During our years together, we felt more like a family or a gang than we did a band. Every high and every low we experienced together. Willy brought so much to our band artistically, aesthetically, and in terms of general morale.

When the going got tough (and believe me, things would get fucking rough), we could always count on Willy to be the eternal optimist. Whether we were getting beat up in Salt Lake City, having our tires slashed in Baltimore, or getting pint glasses heaved at us in Wellington, NZ, we could always count on Willy to crack a joke or act silly to distract us from the lows. Same goes for all the highs we experienced together. All the amazing shows we got to play, amazing places we got to see, and amazing friends we got to meet; Willy lived all these things 100%. I've never seen him happier than when we raising hell in some foreign country.

We discovered so many things together, went through so many things together - it's unbelievable that he is gone so young. He had a lot more love, humor and art to give the world. This is everybody's loss. Please keep him in your hearts and remember him for the son, brother, musician and friend that he was.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Steve Foley of The Replacements (1959-2008)

Steve Foley, who played drums for The Replacements late in their career, died this past weekend in Minneapolis. He was 49. Reports are citing an accidental overdose of prescription medication as the cause.

In 1990 Foley, who had played in Minneapolis bands such as Curtiss A, Wheelo and Snaps, was brought in to replace original Mats drummer Chris Mars. He toured with the band until their final show on July 4, 1991 in Chicago's Grant Park. He and his brother later joined Tommy Stinson's band Bash & Pop. In recent years Steve worked as a car salesman in Minneapolis.

Our deepest condolences go out to Steve's family and friends.

Jerry Finn (1970-2008)

According to Billboard eleven days after being taken off of life support due to a massive brain hemorrhage he suffered last month, producer Jerry Finn died Thursday, August 21st.

The famed producer worked on notable albums from Blink-182, Morrissey, Green Day, Rancid, Bad Religion, AFI and Alkaline Trio. For a list of his production credits, see Wikipedia. Plans for a donation or scholarship fund are in the works, as is a memorial for friends and family.

Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Ronnie Drew (1934-2008)

Legendary Irish folk musician Ronnie Drew has passed away. The 73-year-old founder of The Dubliners had been battling ill health for some time. His family confirmed he passed away at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Dublin at 2pm on Saturday.

In 1962, he founded the Ronnie Drew Group with Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna and Ciaran Bourke. This group was later to be known as The Dubliners, and would become one of the best known Irish folk groups. After the end of the band in 1995, he pursued a solo career and also became a frequent collaborator. Among the artists he recorded with, were Christy Moore, The Pogues, Antonio Breschi, Dropkick Murphys, Eleanor Shanley and others.

His collaboration with the Dropkick Murphys and Spider Stacy can be seen here.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Johnny Moore of the Skatalites (1938-2008)

Trumpet player 'Dizzy' Johnny Moore, a founding member of pioneering Jamaican ska and reggae act The Skatalites, has passed away. Moore died at his home in Kingston on Saturday after being released from a hospital where he was being treated for colon cancer.

Moore helped form the band in 1964 with saxophonists Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso and trombonist Don Drummond. The band helped establish the ska sound over 14 months in the 60s before they split up, only to regroup in New York City twenty years later. Moore was one of the most recorded soloists of the early reggae era, appearing on records such as Something Special, Ringo, Man in the Street, Schooling the Duke, the Wailers' Love and Affection, Lonesome Feeling, and Nice Time. Further details can be found at the Jamaica Observer.

Johnny is survived by his mother, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.

Shin Kodachi of The Lucky Stiffs (1979-2008)

Now defunct San Francisco punk rock band The Lucky Stiffs recently announced the death of their former guitarist Shin "Shinister" Kodachi. The band announced:

It sadden us to write this, but our former guitarist and family member Shin took his own life on the night of the 23rd in Japan. He was a great human being, loved music and friends. We are honored to have shared a stage, home and laughs with him. This is a rough time for us all, and we thank you all for the support. Please keep his family in mind as well, this is such a hard thing to go through.You will be missed Shin, hope the pain is gone now.

The band last released Gold in Peace, Iron in War in 2007 and broke up later that year. Our deepest condolences go out to Shin's family and friends.

George Carlin (1937-2008)

Comedian George Carlin died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday. He was 71. Carlin was celebrated as a counter-culture icon for his provocative anti-establishment material in the 70s, particularly the routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." A live performance of the obscenity laden bit saw him arrested in Milwaukee in 1972 for disturbing the peace, and a radio broadcast of the routine in 1973 brought the ire of the FCC upon a New York City radio station. The resulting legal battle went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978. Amid the controversy Carlin's became the first person to host television comedy institution Saturday Night Live.

Carlin's humor and commentary remained consistently critical of modern American life, taking a nihilistic slant that resonated to this day. In a 2001 Reuters interview he commented "I don't have any beliefs or allegiances. I don't believe in this country, I don't believe in religion, or a god, and I don't believe in all these man-made institutional ideas." Carlin's career spawned 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, and numerous TV and movie appearances. He was slated to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor later this year.

Carlin is survived by his wife Sally Wade, and daughter Kelly Carlin McCall. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.

Bo Diddley (1928-2008)

Pioneering blues and rock'n'roll musician Bo Diddley has passed away due to heart failure. Diddley was born Ellas Bates McDaniel in McComb, Mississippi. He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in January 1987 and proved influential particularly for his role in bridging the gap between blues and rock and roll.

His music had been covered by a diverse range of artists including Elvis Presley, The Doors, The Stooges, The Clash, Johnny Thunders, The Rolliing Stones and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Both the New York Dolls and The Lurkers recorded their own version of his song "Pills", and Diddley was the opening act on The Clash's first U.S. tour.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Mikey Dread (1954-2008)

Dub reggae legend Mikey Dread passed away this Saturday. He was 54. The influential musician and produer was diagnosted with a brain tumor half a year ago.

Dread, born Michael Campbell in Port Antonio, Jamaica, first made waves as the host of the overnight JBC radio show Dread At The Controls. The pioneering show was the first Jamaican radio program to focus on then–underground reggae music. Dread championed the cause by playing artists like King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and Linval Thompson, none of which could otherwise be heard on the conservatively run station. Moving into producion Dread was a vital contributor to the Clash, producing their "Bank Robber" single and co–producing the Sandinista! full length. While in the UK he narrated a six–part series on Jamaican culture for the BBC entitled Deep Roots Music. The early 80s also gave rise to important solo full lengths such as `81's Beyond World War 3 and `84's Pave The Way.

Mikey Dread is survived by his wife Monika and six children. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.