Pale Saints guitarist and founding member Graeme Naysmith has died. He was 57.
Multiple news outlets and social media posts confirmed Naysmith's passing, revealing he died on April 4. Pale Saints' label, 4AD, also released a statement to pay tribute to the guitarist who was "consistently involved in creating music his whole life."
Graeme Naysmith Dead at 57
Pale Saints uploaded a photo of the band, showing Naysmith with Chris Cooper, Meriel Barham and Ian Masters. The band signed with the label in 1989.
"[Neysmith] and his band recorded three albums for the label, becoming mainstays throughout the 90s. Recent years saw him reconnect with 4AD, helping us enormously as we have worked with the band on reissuing and celebrating their studio albums and the exquisite Japanese rarities compilation, Mrs. Dolphin, which we pressed on vinyl for the first time as part of Record Store Day in 2020," the statement continued.
4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell also sent his deepest condolences to Naysmith's bereaved family, calling the guitarist "a brilliant musician and friend."
"I've always been extremely fond of Graeme's guitar playing. He was one of only a handful of musicians I worked with who wasn't afraid of a good guitar solo. In tribute I simply recommend digging out, or clicking on some horrible streaming service, 'Henry' from Pale Saints' final album Slow Buildings," said the founder.
Watts-Russell continued, "When I first heard the sad news, I blew the cobwebs away, shed a few tears of pleasure and sorrow, and felt grateful for the experience. Goes without saying... play it loud! I can only imagine the deep sorrow felt by his ex-bandmates, especially Chris, who obviously knew the man far better than I."
4AD ended the post by sending love to Naysmith's family, friends and fans and expressing the label's gratitude for his contributions to the band and the music industry.
It also shared the tribute on its website.
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A Look back at Graeme Naysmith's Career
Naysmith launched his career with the Pale Saints with their 1989 debut EP, Barging Into the Presence of God, before releasing their debut album, The Comforts of Madness, the following year.
They dropped more projects in the years thereafter, including the albums In Ribbons and Slow Buildings, before their disbandment in 1996.
Despite their breakup, Pale Saints have continuously released their reissues in the years thereafter.
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