David Roback, the Mazzy Star co-founder and multi-instrumentalist who was influential figure in dream-pop and Los Angeles’ 1980s Paisley Underground scene, has died. He was 61.
At the time the news began to circulate on Tuesday evening (February 25), no cause of death was given. His death was confirmed by his publicist, according to the L.A. Times.
Roback was most known for his work in Mazzy Star, teaming with vocalist Hope Sandoval and achieving acclaim with breakout 1994 single “Fade Into You,” off their So Tonight That I Might See album from the year prior. Mazzy Star released four albums between 1990 and 2013, with Roback playin guitar, keyboard, and piano, while writing most of the duo’s music and producing all their recordings.
He had also formed bands Opal and Rain Parade, making him a prolific figure in music’s neo-psychedelic revival of the ’80s and ’90s. “Few musicians have been founding members of three important bands like that,” wrote Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz yesterday. “A rare accomplishment indeed.”
RIP.