Mazzy Star guitarist David Roback has died at the age of 61.
A representative confirmed the news on Tuesday (25 February) but a cause of death is yet to be revealed.
Roback is best known for co-founded Los Angeles-based rock band Mazzy Star in the early ‘90s after quitting his former outfit Rain Parade.
He co-founded Mazzy Star in 1989 with Hope Sandoval before releasing their debut album, She Hangs Brightly, the following year. Over the course of their career, Mazzy Star released three more albums and two EPs.
The alt-rock band are best known for the track Fade Into You, which was co-written and produced by Roback. The song reached number three on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in 1994 and also number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Mazzy Star was still performing together as recently as 2013 when they released their final album Seasons of Your Day, and 2018 when they released the Still EP.
Roback was also a member of the band Opal alongside Dream Syndicate’s Kendra Smith, which was founded in the mid-eighties.
Tributes have poured in for Roback with The Bangles star Susanna Hoffs tweeting: ‘Peace and love David Roback…
‘My first musical partner and my very dear friend. You will be eternally missed.’
The Dream Syndicate’s Steven Wynn also paid tribute, stating: ‘It’s weird. I never knew David Roback that well.
‘But I loved his songs and guitar playing and of course his band and mine shared a special time together… RIP David Roback.
He added: ‘We didn’t hang much but you were my friend.’
The Decemberists star Colin Meloy also reacted: ‘Oh no! Terrible, sad news. Rain Parade, Opal, Mazzy Star. We’ve lost a great one. Safe travels, David.’
Mazzy Star’s drummer Keith Mitchell died in 2017. At the time, Roback and Sandoval said their ‘hearts are broken’ and described the musician as a ‘very talented and amazing drummer’.
They added: ‘He will live in all of our hearts forever.’
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