Details are scarce at the moment, but it appears former Virgins bassist Nick Ackerman has passed away.
Friends of the beloved New York City musician began posting memories and goodbyes on his personal Facebook page Thursday (March 30), and NYC photographer Ryan McGinley posted a video tribute to his Instagram with the caption: “????Sad about #NickAckerman Gone too Soon. Early clips of The Virgins I shot with Nick on lead guitar. RIP ????”
See that footage below.
The Virgins formed out of New York’s music scene in 2006, and released their heavily-backed self-titled debut LP on Atlantic Records two years later, which included indie hits like “Rich Girl”, “Teen Lovers”, and “She’s Expensive”. They issued their sophomore and final album, Strike Gently, in early 2013, and split up later that year. Ackerman, who was often credited as Nick Zarin-Ackerman, also collaborated with Sky Ferreira, co-writing her 2013 track “Werewolf (I Like You)”.
We’ll post more information as it comes in. In the meantime, revisit that excellent first Virgins album, and watch them perform on The Late Show With David Letterman in late 2008.
#RIP