Saliva guitarist Wayne Swinny died Wednesday (March 22nd) at the age of 59 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. His death was confirmed by the band’s representative, as well as its singer, Bobby Amaru, and other associates.
Prior to news of Swinny’s passing, the band wrote on Facebook, “Our dear brother Wayne Swinny was discovered Tuesday morning in medical distress and paramedics were called. He was transported to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain. He is currently in the ICU as we await further news. We ask that you keep him in your thoughts and prayers at this time.”
On Wednesday, a rep for the band stated, “It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Wayne Swinny, the guitarist of Saliva. Wayne passed away this afternoon from a spontaneous brain hemorrhage while on tour.”
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Amaru wrote, “I’m not even sure what to think or how to feel right now. My heart aches for Wayne’s family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him. My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved that little girl so much. He was a guitar hero onstage with all the rock ‘n’ roll swag that most guitar players dream of.”
He continued, “Offstage he was a proud father, an Ancient Aliens expert, and an incredible human who had zero enemies! He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time. I’m grateful that I got to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on the stage and most importantly off the stage. He was the older brother I never had. I learned so much from him and we had a fucking blast together! I will cherish it all for the rest of my life! God bless you, Wayne. I know we’ll meet again!!”
Swinny founded Saliva in 1996, and remained in the band until his passing. With original singer Josey Scott, Saliva hit it big in the 2000s with such rock hits such as “Your Disease,” “Click Click Boom,” “Always,” “Survival of the Sickest,” “Ladies and Gentleman” and more. Their sophomore album, 2001’s Every Six Seconds, has been certified platinum.
Our condolences go out to Wayne Swinny’s family, friends, and bandmates during this difficult time.
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