Van Halen‘s original bassist Mark Stone died after a long battle with cancer. Mark’s brother Brad confirmed the news by posting it on Instagram.
Greg Renoff, the author of “Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal,” tweeted Sunday, “Just got the very sad news that Mark Stone, who played bass with the Van Halen brothers in Genesis, Mammoth, and Van Halen between 1970-1974, has passed away.”
“Mark helped lay the foundation the band we all love. RIP. Condolences to his wife and all those who loved him,” he added.
Current Van Halen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen paid tribute to his predecessor on Twitter, saying, “Heartbreaking news to hear of Mark’s passing. Met him a few times and he was a wonderful man. My heart goes out to his family.”
With brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Stone was part of the band when it was founded under the name Genesis.
The band changed its name to Mammoth before adapting a second new name Van Halen.
Stone played bass guitar on the officially unreleased demo tracks “Gentleman of Leisure,” “Angel Eyes,” “Glitter” and “Believe Me.”
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