Guitarist John Byrd, formerly of King Conquerer, has passed away earlier this week. It is suspected that Byrd passed away due to a drug overdose, although not yet confirmed.
His former band, with whom Byrd split in 2014, posted the following statement:
"As many of you may have read earlier today, our former guitarist John Byrd passed away. We didn't part on the best terms, but we never could have wished this on him. He was our brother for the 4 years he was with the band up until substance started to take over. John was one of the smartest and most talented dudes in the world, and finding out about this today was just insane.
"Same day as Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley.
"If you battle with substance abuse of any kind, PLEASE seek help. It's not worth loosing the one life you have to live. Yes life can suck, it can suck really really bad sometimes, but take control and make this one life you have great!"
Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his friends and family.
[Thanks for the tip, Daegin Wood]
