[tweetmeme]Devo fans are mourning another loss this morning with news that, less than eight months after the death of beloved drummer Alan Myers, one of the band’s original members, guitarist Bob “Bob 2″ Casale, died unexpectedly sometime on Monday from “conditions that lead to heart failure,” the band announced on Facebook today.
The statement comes from Devo’s Gerald Casale, Bob’s brother, who co-founded Devo with Mark Mothersbaugh.
Very sad news to report today.
Bob Casale of Devo. Born: July 14th, 1952 . Deceased: February 17th, 2014
As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.
Gerald Casale, Devo founder.
Band co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Casale’s death was “so sudden and tragic,” adding that, “He was the nicest guy in the band. He had the best personality. He had the longest fuse. He was a problem solver.”
Devo had been planning to tour this summer, Mothersbaugh said:
“We were going to go out in June and July playing some music that was pre-first album. We called it science fiction blues. Captain Beefheart type stuff. But now I can’t think of anything but Bob and his wife and two kids. His son Alex is 24, and his daughter Samantha is a couple years younger. We’re all just thinking about them right now.”
