Rock Group co-founder Saliva dies at 59 after being rushed to hospital with a brain hemorrhage
Wayne Swinny, one of the founding members of hard rock band Saliva, has died of a brain hemorrhage.
The guitarist was 59 when he died on Wednesday March 22.
The band’s rep told TMZ: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Wayne Swinny, guitarist for Saliva. Wayne passed away this afternoon from a spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage while on tour.
Hours earlier, the group had shared that Swinny was in intensive care at the hospital following a medical emergency.
Bobby Amaru, the current lead singer of Saliva, also shared his memories of his late bandmate.
“I don’t even know what to think or how to feel right now. My heart aches for Wayne’s family, friends and all who had the joy of being around him. My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved this little girl so much,” he said.
“He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time. I am grateful to have been able to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on stage and especially off stage.
Amaru went on to describe Swinny as the “older brother” he never had. I learned so much from him and we had a great time together! I will cherish all of this for the rest of my life! God bless you Wayne. I know we will meet again!!’ he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Swinny’s bandmates announced he had been taken to hospital after he was discovered in “medical distress” on Tuesday morning.
The wife of Saliva lead singer Josey Scott wrote on social media that the band were “in shock and grief” after Winny’s shocking death.
She shared that the singer described Swinny as her “musical soulmate” and praised him for his winning sense of humour.
Saliva formed in 1996 with Swinny, vocalist Josey Scott, guitarist Chris Dabaldo, bassist Dave Novotny and drummer Paul Crosby. He released a self-titled album in 1997, then made his major label debut in March 2001 with “Every Six Seconds”. He was nominated for the Grammy Awards for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002.
