Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax (1938-2008)

Gary Gygax, one of the key creators for the popular role playing game Dungeons and Dragons, passed away in his home on Tuesday morning at the age of 69. He had been battling various health issues for years, including an abdominal aneurysm. Dungeons and Dragons was created in 1974 with Dave Arneson, and has served as the standard in role playing games ever since, inspiring numerous video games directly and in–directed based off of the system. It has also served as a tool of inspiration for many bands, helping develop a fascination with the fantasy world that sometimes extends to a group's lyrical endeavors. Gary was also a prolific writer and a figurehead of the role–playing community, even playing a cartoon version of himself once on the cartoon Futurama. He will be missed by many.

Punknews.org sends our condolences and best wishes to his friends and family.

Mike Conley of MIA (-2008)

Mike Conley, former vocalist of Orange County punk band MIA was found dead yesterday in Chicago. According to the news report, Mike was found unresponsive at 5:40 a.m. by a person staying in the hotel in the 2300 block of North Mannheim Road, sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said. He appeared to have suffered head injuries.

All Music Guide called M.I.A. "one of the 50 best So–Cal punk bands of the great early–'80s second wave explosion."

Our condolences to Mike's friends and family.

Stampede leaves ten dead at Indonesian metal concert

10 people were killed and dozens injured after a stampede broke out at a metal concert in Bandung, Indonesia. The show took place Saturday night and featured local band Beside. Doctors are reporting that most of the deceased were teenagers who were trampled during the stampede at a club which some say was filled over capacity, although no official reports have been made.

Our deepest condolences to the friends and family of the deceased.

Void drummer Sean Finnegan (1965-2008)

Dischord Records is reporting the sad news that drummer Sean Finnegan of Void passed away on Wednesday January 30th from an apparent heart attack. Sean played with the early hardcore act while the band was active from 1980 to 1983, and was most recently working on the set of HBO show The Wire.

Sean's family will receive friends today from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM at Harry H. Witzke's Family Funeral Home in Ellicott City, Maryland. In lieu of flowers his family ask that donations may be made to the Fisher House at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Our deepest condolences to Sean's friends and family.

Lynette Knackstedt of Skankin' Pickle (1970-2007)

Mike Park has passed on some sad news about his former band mate from Skankin' Pickle, Lynette Knackstedt:

Lynette Knackstedt passed away on Friday, December 7th, 2008. We went to middle school, high school, and spent 7 of our adult years together in Skankin' Pickle. She was only 37 years old.

Lynette was the much loved guitarist of the San Francisco based sextet. After the break up of the Pickle in 1996, Knackstedt and trombonist Lars Nylander went on to form the 78 RPMs. Our deepest condolences to Lynette's friends and family.

Pat Mason of Arsonists Get All The Girls (1986-2007)

Arsonists Get All The Girls' bassist Pat Mason has passed away on the night of his 21st birthday. The band has posted the following message on MySpace:

We can't describe the pain and sorrow that we all are feeling right now. Last night/early this morning our bassist, Pat Mason, passed away. Pat was an amazing person and brother to all of us. It was his 21st birthday and we all got to see him at band practice. He then proceeded to go out to the bars. He went to sleep at a friend's house. We don't know the full details but when friends tried to wake him up this morning he didn't wake up. We could never trade him for the world and could never replace him. We will always love him and will always be in our hearts. We are going to continue with the band cause that is what Pat would have wanted. There will be a donation account set up soon for his family and possibly a local benefit show as well. Thanks for everyone for the support that the band has since the beginning. We love you all and Pat loves you all as well.

Punknews.org sends our condolences and best wishes to his bandmates and family.

Casey Calvert of Hawthorne Heights (1981-2007)

Dayton, Ohio's Hawthorne Heights has announced the sad news that rhythm guitarist Casey Calvert has passed away. He was 26. The band made the following announcement:

Today is probably the worst day ever. Its with our deepest regrets that we have to write this. Casey Calvert passed away in his sleep last night. We found out this afternoon before sound–check. We've spent the entire day trying to come to grips with this and figure out as much as possible. At this time we're not sure what exactly happened. Just last night he was joking around with everyone before he went to bed. We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. Please, out of respect to Casey and his family, don't contribute or succumb to any gossip you may hear. We don't want his memory to be tainted in the least. Casey was our best friend. He was quirky and awesome and there will truly be no others like him! His loss is unexplainable. As soon as we know more we will let you know.

The band last released If Only You Were Lonely in 2006.

Our deepest condolences to Casey's friends and family.

Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka of Decapitated (1984-2007)

Drummer Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka of Poland–based hardcore/tech/metal act Decapitated has passed away. On October 29, 2007, while travelling to a show in Gomel, Belarus, Decapitated was involved in a bus accident. Their tour bus collided with a truck carrying wood, giving serious head injuries to Vitek and Adrian Kowanek.

Decapitated formed in 1996 in Krosno in southern Poland, when the average age of the band was fourteen and all the members were still attending music school. The band released their last album, Organic Hallucinosis in 2006 via Earache.

Our condolences to Witold's friends and family.

Ramones manager Linda Stein (1945-2007)

Linda Stein, former manager to the Ramones and ex–wife of Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records, was killed in a shocking and senseless murder yesterday. Stein, a former schoolteacher co–managed the Ramones during the band's heyday. She's credited with bringing the Ramones to England for their infamous July 4, 1976, show. That performance is often described as the catalyst for the punk movement in Britain. After Stein and Fields parted ways with the Ramones in 1980, she eventually launched a real estate career brokering multimillion–dollar Manhattan apartments for rock and roll royalty.

Stein's daughter found her body Tuesday night face down in the living room of the apartment, located in a doorman building on Fifth Avenue where she lived alone. There were no signs of a break–in or robbery, and police said they had no motive or suspects. An autopsy found that Stein, 62, died from blows to the head and neck.

Our deepest condolences to Linda's friends and family.

Paul Fox (1951-2007)

Paul Fox, best known as the guitarist of influential reggae punks, The Ruts, has passed away at 56 following a battle with lung cancer. Just this past summer, Fox performed with the surviving members of the Ruts and fronted by Henry Rollins.

Formed in the late 70s, the Ruts were among the first wave of British punk bands, taking influence from reggae and punk rock and being active in the early anti–racist movement. Though the Ruts were no longer performing, Paul remained active in music, performing with the Dubcats.

Our condolences to Paul's friends, family and fans.