Jon Wysocki, drummer and founding member of Staind, dies at 53
FILE - Posed studio group portrait of American rock band Staind. Left to right are Jon Wysocki, Aaron Lewis, Johnny April and Mike Mushok in New York on July 14 2008. (Nigel Crane/Redferns)
Jon Wysocki, the drummer and founding member of the rock band Staind, has died, according to the band’s official X, formerly known as Twitter, account. He was 53 years old.
Wysocki died on May 18 "surrounded by family and friends," according to the Lydia’s Castle Instagram account. Lydia’s Castle is another rock band that hails from Nashville, Tenn., which Wysocki joined in 2021.
While the official cause of his death has yet to be revealed, a Facebook post shared by Lydia’s Castle band member, Shawna Hornbeck, said that Wysocki was admitted to the ICU after he was "having issues with his liver."
FILE - Drummer Jon Wysocki from the band Staind performs at Fuse's IMX Studios in Midtown Manhattan Dec. 05, 2003 in New York City. (Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
Wysocki was born in Westfield, Mass., on Jan. 17, 1971, according to Billboard.
He co-founded Staind in 1995 with members Aaron Lewis, Mike Mushok and Johnny April and in 1997, they released their debut album titled "Tormented."
In 1999, the band had a major label debut called "Dysfunction" which was co-produced by Limp Bizkit's singer Fred Durst.
Wysocki would leave Staind in 2011 due to some friction with Lewis, according to reports. Wysocki briefly joined the rock band Soil but never officially got to record with them.
Despite the reported friction between him and his former bandmate, Lewis wrote a touching tribute to Wysocki, saying his "world has changed."
Soil also wrote a tribute to Wysocki, recalling the laughs and good time they shared with the talented drummer.
"Today we lost one of the greats. Jon Wysocki was not only a great friend, a great drummer, but a great human being. It was an honor to have him in SOiL for the time we did. We had so many laughs, so many good times. You will be missed dearly. Until we meet again dear friend…..," according to a statement on Soil's Facebook account.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.