Dave Matthews Band Saxophonist Passes Away
Submitted by Jane Kornblut on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 09:13
Saxophonist LeRoi Moore a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died on Tuesday at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 46.
The exact cause of death is unknown, but it is suspected that it must due to complications from critical injuries that Moore sustained in the June 30 ATV crash on his farm near Charlottesville, Va. Moore suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs in the accident.
Moore had not performed with DMB since his accident and had recently returned to his house in L.A. in order to begin a physical rehabilitation program..
A statement released by DMB says that Moore's fellow bandmates are “deeply saddened” by the loss. The band’s website is at present set up in homage to its late saxophonist, with its home page reading, “In memory of LeRoi Moore...1961-2008.”
Moore was a jazz-influenced musician who played bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano saxophone, as well as flute, clarinet and penny whistle. He was attributed with arranging many of the tunes Matthews wrote—songs that almost always provided chances for the backup players to stand out.
“I have plenty of space to improvise, to try new ideas,” Moore once said. “It’s almost better than a jazz gig.”
