Alex Brown, a former guitarist in New York hardcore punk band Gorilla Biscuits, has died at age 52. The news was revealed by the band’s singer, Anthony Civarelli, who reported that Brown died of natural causes following a basal ganglia stroke.
“The world lost a son, brother, uncle, artist, musician and loving friend this week,” Civarelli wrote in an Instagram post announcing the news. “I lost my bandmate and friend of over 30 years, a piece of my heart died this week and all I can do is think of all the fun, shows, meals flights and trips we had together. All the late night talks and all the early morning hangs with him and my wife and kids. There will never be another alex brown.”
Civarelli said that a memorial service is slated to take place in Iowa in the next few weeks.
Brown, who was also a respected painter who showed his collage-like images in galleries in New York, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1966 and studied art at the Parsons School of Design in New York, according to Brooklyn Vegan. He was alos the co-creator of the fanzine/label Schism and a member of the hardcore bands Project X and Side by Side, joining Gorilla Biscuits in time to appear on their landmark second album, 1989’s Start Today and playing with them through their 1992 split and then again from 2005 until his death.
GB bass player Arhurt Smilios also paid tribute, writing, “I’m going to miss you, Alex. This sums up how you made me feel. I love you, buddy. Completely heartbroken. Stage Right is going to suck.”
Guitaritst Walter Schreifels also penned a heartfelt homage to his late bandmate, saying, “It’s impossible to properly put into words, completely new terrain. Alex has been my brother since we were teenagers, it’s insane to think I won’t see him again, this is heartbreak. I’ve read so many beautiful posts about Alex today that have brought me to tears. It feels great to see Alex recognized as the great artist, musician and visionary that he was. He’s been a go to source of inspiration, insight, loving support and cry laughing hilarity to me since we first starting hanging out, somewhere around the time this photo was taken. More than any of us I think Alex understood how valuable our time together actually was and wasn’t afraid to express it.”
A number of the band’s fans also paid tribute to Brown.
Damn. Another one bites the dust. One of my favorite bands of all time #gorillabiscuits guitarist Alex brown has passed on. Rip pic.twitter.com/TNbM05ZOPH
— Neon Future Aoki (@steveaoki) February 2, 2019
Even though we both came up in NY hardcore, I didn’t meet Alex until I moved to Chicago. He came from Iowa to @gramaphonechi to buy techno vinyl and I was like, “Gorilla Biscuits Alex?!” Last time I saw him was when GB and Texas played Chicago Rev Fest. We laughed about that. — pic.twitter.com/r6iACw4H0n
— Norman Brannon (@normanbrannon) February 2, 2019
Watch the band play “New Direction” below.