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Artist News
Wayne Static dies
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 3 November 2014
The former frontman of metal band Static-X, Wayne Static, real name Wayne Wells, has died, aged 48. There was initial speculation that the death was drug-related, though a statement from the musician’s family said that he had not used hard drugs since 2009, and that he had died in his sleep.
Announced on Saturday, Static’s death came the day after he announced UK tour dates for January, which would have seen him perform Static-X’s debut album, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, in full.
Writing on Facebook, Static’s former bandmate, Tony Campos, now bassist for Soulfly, paid tribute and expressed regret that their former band’s acrimonious split in 2010 would never be resolved: “I’m having a hard time finding the words to express how I feel right now, and it’s taken me a long time to even try to write something. I knew Wayne for fifteen years. Some of the best times of my life were with him. I considered him a good friend. It’s sad, the way our friendship ended, but even more sad that we never got to settle things between us”.
He continued: “Even though we were no longer friends the last five years, I held on to a sliver of hope that my old friend would come back. We were like family: Koichi Fukuda, Nick Oshiro, Erik Fincher, Bruce Reiter, Brandon Webster, Dinkus Maximus, Royal Jensen; we all just wanted our old friend back. Sadly, that’ll never happen. I feel so horrible for his parents and his brother and sisters. I can’t even begin to imagine what they must be going through. My deepest condolences go out to them. All we can do now, is remember the good times we all shared. Rest in peace Wayne”.
Numerous other musicians also paid tribute over the weekend, including Ozzy Osbourne, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, and Billy Corgan, the latter of whom performed in a band with Static in the late 80s.
