Musician Wayne Swinny has passed away at the age of 59 after suffering a medical emergency.
The guitarist, who was also a co-founding member of the hard rock, nu-metal band Saliva, died on Wednesday following a brain hemorrhage.
“It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Wayne Swinny, the guitarist of Saliva. Wayne passed away this afternoon from a spontaneous brain hemorrhage while on tour,” the band’s rep said in a statement obtained by TMZ.
The sad announcement came just hours after Swinny’s bandmates revealed that the guitarist was hospitalized and fighting for his life.
Following Swinny’s premature death, Saliva’s lead singer Bobby Amaru spoke out to pay the musician a touching tribute.
“I’m not even sure what to think or how to feel right now. My heart aches for Wayne’s family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him. My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved that little girl so much,” he wrote.
“He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time. I’m grateful that I got to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on the stage and most importantly off the stage.”
He continued: “I learned so much from him and we had a f***ing blast together! I will cherish it all for the rest of my life! God Bless you Wayne. I know we’ll meet again!!”
Paying a tribute to the late guitarist was also the wife of original Saliva lead singer Josey Scott who said the entire band was left in a state of “complete shock and heartbreak.”
She also applauded Swinny’s witty sense of humor and revealed that her husband previously described him as his musical “soulmate.”
Our thoughts are with Swinny’s family and friends during this challenging time.
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