Rob Laakso, Kurt Vile and The Violators' longtime guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, has died. He was 44.
Laakso's wife, Mamie-Claire Cornelius, confirmed his death in a statement on Instagram. Fans also paid tribute to the musician who had been part of the band since 2011.
Guitarist Rob Laakso Dead at 44
On the Instagram post, Cornelius expressed her heartbreak by sharing a photo of the musician and their children. She revealed that the kids ran into the house from school a day after his death so they could tell him about how they did and what they did.
The wife revealed she was rehearsing how she would tell their kids about Laakso's death, noting that their son Gus knew it when she broke down in tears.
"Thank you for giving me the most beautiful life, the most loving and beautiful children and for believing in me every day," she wrote. "You are the light of my life and the only slightest sliver of peace I have is that you are no longer in pain. We'll be dreaming of you every night until we see you again."
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Her post did not disclose Rob Laakso's cause of death, but it had been long reported that he had been struggling with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer.
Cornelius also shared the heartbreaking update on the GoFundMe page created to support the family and the musician's cancer treatment.
Rob Laakso's Career, Legacy
Laakso started his music career by playing guitar in Swirlies, appearing in the band's albums "Damon, Andy, Rob, Ron: The Yes Girls," "Cats of the Wild Volume 2," and "Swirlies' Magic Strop: Winsome Zamula's Hammer of Contumely."
He then became a member of several bands like Mice Parade, Amazing baby, Diamond Nights, and the Wicked Farleys.
The late multi-instrumentalist soon served as Kurt Vile's recording partner, who played in both his band and solo music projects. He marked his last studio record with him in 2022 with "Watch My Moves."
In the same year, he started pursuing his solo project, Raw Bell, and dropped his self-titled EP.
Months before his death, Laakso still sat down for an interview with WECB during which he revealed he decided to launch a solo career to create music that people would respond to. He also expressed his desire to release more albums and perform in several shows.
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