Kevin Garcia — bassist helped indie rock band Grandaddy gain fame
Kevin Garcia, the bass player and co-founder of the Modesto indie rock group Grandaddy, died at a hospital in his hometown Tuesday. He was 41.
The surviving members of the band, who confirmed his death with a statement posted on Facebook, said the cause was “the effects of a massive stroke.”
They added, “We were all able to say goodbye to him and he was surrounded by his closest friends and family here in Modesto.”
Grandaddy was founded in 1992 by Mr. Garcia when he was 15 years old, along with singer and guitarist Jason Lytle and drummer Aaron Burtch. The lineup was rounded out in 1995 with guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden.
After the release of its first full-length album, “Under the Western Freeway,” in 1997, the group gained an international cult following buoyed by subsequent releases such as 2000’s “The Sophtware Slump” and 2003’s “Sumday.”
Grandaddy parted ways after 2006’s “Just Like the Fambly Cat,” reuniting in 2012 for a string of live dates.
Before the official release of “Last Place,” its first album of new material in more than a decade, the band performed a sold-out concert at San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club in February during Noise Pop Festival.
A tour covering North America and Europe was announced in support of the 2017 album, including a return to San Francisco this time at the Regency Ballroom on May 11.
“Given the circumstances, we unfortunately have to cancel our upcoming U.S. tour dates,” the band announced Wednesday afternoon in a statement sent to Regency Ballroom ticket holders. “We hope to reschedule these at some point in the future.”
Refunds for the May 11 show are available at point of purchase.
Coldplay, which toured with Grandaddy in 2001, paid tribute to Mr. Garcia via Twitter: “Our love and thoughts are with the family of Kevin Garcia and of course his Grandaddy bandmates at this difficult time.”
Mr. Garcia is survived his children, Jayden and Gavin; wife, Sondra; parents, Randy and Barbara; brothers, Craig and Jeff; and grandmother, Joan. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover his family’s medical and funeral expenses.