Graeme Naysmith, guitarist from the English alternative rock band Pale Saints, died on Thursday, April 4 at the age of 57, Naysmith’s record label 4AD said on in an Instagram post Wednesday, April 17.
Naysmith “was a husband and a father, and he was consistently involved in creating music his whole life,” the post read. Naysmith formed Pale Saints in Leeds, England in 1987 along with singer-bassist Ian Masters and drummer Chris Cooper.
Naysmith signed to 4AD in 1989, according to the Instagram post. He, along with Pale Saints, recorded three albums with the label and became a mainstay throughout the 1990s. The band’s first album, “The Comforts of Madness,” reached the top 40 on the U.K. Albums Chart.
“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,” 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell said in the post. “I can only imagine the deep sorrow felt by his ex-bandmates, especially Chris, who obviously knew the man far better than I.”
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The band was often categorized as dream-pop or shoegaze due to the heavy, atmospheric sound of Naysmith’s guitar combined with Masters’ choirboy-esque vocals. Other, later members of the band included Ashley Horner, Meriel Barham and Colleen Browne.
Pale Saints disbanded in 1996, but Naysmith worked closely with the record label 4AD on recent reissues of the band’s albums, according to Pitchfork.
“We’re devastated to say that our guitarist and friend Jock (Graeme) Naysmith died recently,” Naysmith’s other band, the X-Ray Eyes, posted on Facebook. “He was a great guitar player but an even better guy and we’re going to miss him like you wouldn’t believe. He was a much loved husband and father and our thoughts are with all his family. We managed to record a load of new songs with Jock over the last few years, hopefully they’ll be released in the future.”
Naysmith’s cause of death was not given.