Shawn Smith—the Seattle-based musician of Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed, and more—died April 5. He was 53. According to a report by The Seattle Times, Smith was found at his Seattle home. The King County medical examiner confirmed his death earlier today (April 6), but concluded that it was too early to determine a cause.
Smith’s son Dove verified the news in a post on his father’s Facebook page. “We wanted to let everyone know that my dad Shawn Smith has passed away it is so sad for everybody,” he wrote. “I miss him so much and I don’t even know how to express how much I love him he is an amazing dad and gave me all the love he has to offer and I think he’d want all of you to know he’s leaving his love for all of us.” Read Dove’s full statement below.
Several musicians paid tribute to Smith following his death. “So sad to wake up tot he news about the passing of Shawn Smith,” Ken Stringfellow (the Posies, R.E.M.) said in a statement. “The gentlest of gentle souls, with a voice that came from the deepest regions of the spirit… I hope he finds peace and rest on his soul’s onward journey.” Alice in Chains’ Mike Inez also shared a tribute to the singer. “One of the great Seattle voices. Rest In Peace Brotherman.”
Shawn Smith was born in Spokane, Washington, and moved to Seattle in his early twenties, where he joined his first band Malfunkshun. Smith formed Brad in 1992 with Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, Jeremy Toback, and Regan Hagar, who also formed Satchel with Smith. With Brad, Smith dropped five records in total, the last being 2012’s United We Stand. He also released solo music as Pigeonhed, including 1999’s Let It All Begin and 2016’s The Secret Life of People EP.
https://pitchfork.com/news/brads-shawn-smith-dead-at-53
