John Pike of Ra Ra Riot (1984 - 2007)

The body of John Pike, drummer of Syracuse, NY's Ra Ra Riot has been found near Fairhaven, MA. According to SouthCoastToday.com, police divers found the body on Sunday around 4pm off Wilbur's Point in Buzzards Bay.

Pike had gone missing on Saturday, with his cell phone being discovered near to where his body would eventually be found. He was a 2006 magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University and was about to embark on a full East Coat tour with Ra Ra Riot, who have canceled their June 8th appearance at Sweet Jane's in Hartford, CT.

Currently the police have not discussed whether or not foul play was involved in Pike's death.

Daniel Hess of Ready Steady Go! (1976-2007)

Daniel Hess, singer of ska act Ready Steady Go! and co-owner of Rude in DC Productions has passed away. His friend Michelle had this to say:

He had been battling Hodgkin's disease for the past year and a half. It had been a long battle with some really rough times, but there were some really good times as well. He was really strong through it all.

We've appreciated everyone's support through the tough times. Thanks to everyone who's come out to the shows. Dan's favorite thing was to be on stage, entertaining and making sure everyone had a great time.

Michelle has invited friends to attend the service which will take place at the Garden of Remembrance in Clarksburg, MD and is also urging that people donate to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or the Humane Society in lieu of flowers.

Our deepest condolences to all of Dan's friends and family. Dan made many, many friends and we'd all love to have you come to the funeral services to celebrate his life. The services are on the burial grounds on Friday, May 18th at 11am at the Garden of Remembrance.

Jonathan “Jonny Z” Zanin of Tigershark (1980-2007)

Jonathan "Jonny Z" Zanin, drummer for the Richmond, VA band Tigershark, passed away in the early morning this past Monday.

Jonny was found under the Boulevard Bridge, and his bike above on the pedestrian walkway. Foul play has been ruled out by police, but the actual cause of death is still under investigation.

Aside from being an accomplished musician, Jonny also contributed a great deal of time to many social causes; including fundraising for Food Not Bombs.

Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.

Chris: On a personal note, I met Jon a few times, and am still in disbelief over this. A friend notified me today and it actually took a few minutes to settle in. Jon was the type of person that any city or scene needs; always smiling, giving of himself, and just an overall nice and positive guy. He will be missed by many.

Gary Reitmeyer of US Chaos (1963-2007)

Gary Reitmeyer, founding guitarist of America's first Oi! band US Chaos, passed away recently at the age of 44. Reitmeyer helped found the Cliffside Park, NJ based band in 1982, and with the exception of a brief period from 1984 to 1985, remained in the lineup ever since. US Chaos' original run wrapped up in the late 80s, but a series of reunion gigs in the mid 90s lead to a full return to action in 1995.

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

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)

Kurt Vonnegut has passed away at the age of 84. According to a New York Times report, Mr.Vonnegut suffered brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago.

He was born in 1922 and published his first novel in 1950. He was best known for his darkly humorous and deeply moral novels which melded science fiction themes and satire to communicate and explore ideas about the human condition.

His classic books included Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions and his short stories included notable dystopian fiction like Harrison Bergeron. Not just a writer, Vonnegut fought in World War II, and his experiences there shaped his many war themed novels, like Slaughterhouse Five in which he chronicled his experiences during the firebombing of Dresden.

His final published book was 2006's A Man Without a Country.

Our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who were touched by his incredible talent.

Kirk Rundstrom of Split Lip Rayfield (1968 - 2007)

Kirk Rundstrom, vocalist of cow-punk/bluegrass act Split Lip Rayfield has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Rundstrom, the 38-year old, was diagnosed with the disease last spring and managed to fight - and still perform - for months longer than he had originally been given by doctors.

His friends and label had this to say:

Kirk was, without debate, one of the most dynamic and passionate performers we have ever seen. To see him on stage was to see a man totally focused on, totally POSSESSED with, the music of the moment. He never ever took his audience for granted and delivered the goods with a ferocious energy that flowed through the room. I had personally seen him play some 75 times and it was never boring, it was never phoned in and it was hard to take my eyes off him. If you left a show of theirs without sweating, without losing yourself in the joyous abandon of music, it wasn't from his lack of trying.

Our deepest condolences to Kirk's friends, family and fans.

Nidge Blitz (-2007)

Nidge Blitz, founding guitarist/songwriter from long-running British punk/oi! act Blitz was tragically killed on Friday night. According to numerous reports, Nidge was struck by a car and killed on a highway outside of Austin, Texas. Nidge and his bandmates were in the midst of a 21 day tour, with just two days left.

The booking agents responsible for the tour had this to say in his memory:

We cannot speak highly of Nidge enough. He had no interest in the 'business' of punk. He was never concerned about how much money the band was getting paid nightly. He was more concerned with details like if the show was all ages and that the ticket price wasn't too high. He loved playing for the fans and it's a shame that his life has been cut so short, he will be missed.

Blitz enjoyed success in England in the early 1980s and more recently their music was covered by both Rancid and the Distillers.

Our deepest condolences to Nidge's family, friends and fans.

Charlotte Lesher, Mother of Joey Ramone (1927-2007)

Charlotte Lesher, the mother of the late Joey Ramone has passed away. According to her son's official website, Charlotte, who was 80 years old, sufferred a heart attack on the 27th of January.

She had worked tirelessly in her son's memory, creating both the annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash and it's beneficiary, the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research. She is survived by other son and Joey's brother, Mickey Leigh.

In lieu of cards or flowers, her family and friends ask that you consider making making a donation to the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research. ()

Our deepest condolences to her friends and family.

Brent Liles of Social Distortion, Agent Orange (1963-2007)

Brent Liles, bassist for Social Distortion until 1984, and Agent Orange thereafter has passed away. Brent was killed suddenly, when he was struck by a truck as he rode his bicycle across a street in Placentia, California.

Liles played bass on the Social Distortion's groundbreaking Mommy's Little Monster recording in 1983 and also Agent Orange's 1992 classic, Living In Darkness. He also figured prominently in the documentary, Another State of Mind which focused on both SD and Youth Brigade.

The OC Register reported the accident. According to their story, Liles, wearing casual clothing, was riding a small dirt bicycle westbound on Orangethorpe Avenue just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday. As he entered the crosswalk at the Orange (57) Freeway, a big rig carrying a trailer turned right onto the on-ramp and accelerated, hitting Liles. He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

The driver, Javier Lopez of Rancho Cucamonga, was turning on a green light. He was not immediately cited, CHP officials said. The crash is still being investigated.

Our deepest condolences to Brent's friends, family and many fans.

Saddam Hussein (1937-2006)

Various news sources are reporting that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was executed this evening. Though considered by many to be a justified end that questions the means, the loss of Hussein may not be mourned to the extent of those who chose not to use political power to attempt genocide and terror against any who opposed, but make us question the countless freedoms we have sacrificed in the name of the "greater cause".

Will the nationalism sparked by this event combined with the coming New Year holiday spark more celebration than the Red Sox World Series Championship? One can only hope we don't forget about that other guy, you know, the one who actually admitted ownership of the events on 9/11?

Have at it kids, this is probably the only "In Memoriam" where tasteless comments may actually be appropriate.