Casey Calvert: Asthma blamed

Further to the news at the weekend of the death of Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert, Billboard are reporting that the probable cause of death was an acute asthma attack.

[Casey Calvert obituary]

Guitarobit: Casey Calvert

The guitarist with Hawthorne Heights, Casey Calvert, died in his sleep on Friday.

The band have issued at a statement:

Today is probably the worst day ever. Its with our deepest regrets that we have to write this. Casey Calvert passed away in his sleep last night. We found out this afternoon before sound-check. We've spent the entire day trying to come to grips with this and figure out as much as possible. At this time we're not sure what exactly happened. Just last night he was joking around with everyone before he went to bed. We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. Please, out of respect to Casey and his family, don't contribute or succumb to any gossip you may hear. We don't want his memory to be tainted in the least. Casey was our best friend. He was quirky and awesome and there will truly be no others like him! His loss is unexplainable. As soon as we know more we will let you know.

Calvert was 26 years old. He had lived through some volatile times as a member of Hawthorne Heights, including fighting a battle to be freed from the terms of contract with Victory Records which the band maintained was unfair, and becoming embroiled in a seedy attempt to nobble NeYo's sales by encouraging fans to make it difficult to find his album. The band claimed this was down to the label and they knew nothing about it.

With or without dirty tricks, Hawthorne Heights built an impressive fan base; their second album, If Only You Were Lonely, made it to number three in the Billboard album charts early last year.

[Update: 26/11/07 - Billboard are reporting the cause of death was probably asthma]