Gov't Mule bassist and former member Allman Brothers Band member Douglas Allen Woody died Saturday morning in a motel in the New York borough of Queens, a police spokesperson confirmed. He was 44. The band's label, Capricorn Records, issued a statement saying an autopsy performed yesterday (Aug. 27) was inconclusive.

Woody's funeral will be held Thursday (Aug. 31) afternoon at the Hermitage Memorial Gardens in Hermitage, Tenn.

A message posted yesterday on the band's official Web site shared the news with fans, thanking those who had already passed along condolences. "Please also know that we appreciate all of the heart felt e-mails that have already been received and we will forward a copy of each one to Allen's family to show them how much Allen was loved by all of you," the message reads.

Information regarding an education fund for Savannah Woody, the musician's 3 year-old daughter with his wife Jenny, is also available on the site.

Woody joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1989 as it was reforming after a seven-year hiatus. In 1997, the bassist and guitarist Warren Haynes officially left the band to concentrate on Gov't Mule with longtime friend and drummer Matt Abts. The Gov't Mule side project began when the trio informally jammed together in 1994 in Los Angeles following an Allmans show.

Explaining Gov't Mule's creative philosophy in a biography written around the time of the band's 1998 Capricorn debut, "Dose," Woody said, "In so many ways, we rely on spontaneity and unpredictability: you can get electrocuted at any time."

Gov't Mule's third studio album, "Life Before Insanity," peaked at No. 16 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart in March. The band was due to kick off a 20-date tour Sept. 2 in Columbus, Ohio.