Devastating news for fans of Dave Matthews Band. Saxophone player LeRoi Moore died at age 46
Moore was seriously injured in an ATV accident June 30 outside Charlottesville. He had a punctured lung and broken ribs. Moore went back into the hospital last month due to complications.
Moore died in Los Angeles this afternoon, after taking a turn for the worse.
We're also told the band will perform tonight as scheduled at the Staples Center in L.A.
During the concert, which did go on, Matthews paid tribute to LeRoi:
"We all had some bad news today," Matthews told the sell-out crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after the first song. "Our good friend LeRoi Moore passed on and gave his ghost up today and we will miss him forever."
Fans shouted Moore's name in tribute as the band resumed playing. Two songs later, Matthews once again made reference to Moore, saying: "It's easier to leave than be left."
A rep for DMB gave the following statement:
"LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. Moore had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program."
LeRoi Moore's trip to California from Virginia may have been detrimental, as Janet Charlton reports:
He was slowly recovering but suffered lung complications and hasn't been able to perform. We were told that against doctors advice, he flew to LA to be with the band backstage when they open tonight at the Staples center. The flight may have affected him adversely and he died today.
According to DMBNews.net, Dave Matthews was spotted crying outside of his Los Angeles hotel with the news of LeRoi Moore's death.
Fans outside DMB's hotel in Los Angeles today reported seeing Dave Matthews crying, and he and other band members and crew hugging each other while boarding their tour buses.
The ATV accident that ultimately took LeRoi's life happened outside his Virginia farm during a short break in DMB's tour. He was admitted to the University of Virginia Health System in serious condition and released early the week of July 13.
The ATV accident made news July 1.
At press time, LeRoi Moore's bio was still available on DMB's website and read as follows:
LeRoi and Carter have been jazz compatriots for years, playing together at paying gigs and informal jam sessions. "Jazz is probably my main influence," admits LeRoi, who also has classical training. "But at this stage I don't really consider myself a jazz musician." For him, DMB remains a challenge because there is room to explore, to respond to the expressions of the other four players. "I have plenty of space to improvise, to try new ideas," says LeRoi, whom Dave credits with arranging many of the songs he writes. "It's almost better than a jazz gig."
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