(CelebrityAccess) — Rich “Rock” Priske, a Canadian bassist who best known for his tenure with the award-winning rock band Matthew Good, has died at the age of 52.
His passing was confirmed by his former bandmates via social media. “My deepest condolences go out to his friends and family. Rest In Peace Rich,” Matthew Good wrote in a post on Instagram.
According to friends and former bandmates, Priske suffered a heart attack.
“He was the guy sitting beside me in the van, the diner, the s**thole dressing room encouraging me to ‘Let It Rock!’ for a decade. We shared the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but mostly we shared laughs,” David Genn added. “What amazing, surreal, indescribable times we had. RIP my friend. You Let It Rock and left a huge mark.”
A native of Vancouver, Priske was a fixture of the British Columbia music scene and performed or wrote music for artists and bands such as Art Bergmann, DSK, ShoCore, Chrome Dog, Bif Naked and Real McKenzies, and others
He joined the Matthew Good Band in 1998 following the exit of Geoff Lloyd and remained with the group until the band’s dissolution in 2002. He then continued to perform and tour with Matthew Good, including several solo albums and his “In A Coma” tour in 2005.
In addition to his work as a musician, Priske was an avid independent journalist, writing for outlets such as Canadian Musician and Wine Trails. He also maintained blogs for the Matthew Good Band, including its ‘Notes from the Road’ blog.
As well, Priske was involved in films and theatrical productions, including multiple music videos and several feature films such as Red Scorpion 2 and Hard Core Logo.
