Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan paid homage to his late father, William Dale Corgan Sr., over the weekend following the elder Corgan’s death from a heart attack. In a Twitter tribute video, the singer said his father, 74, had had a host of health issues over the past few years and his death was not “wholly unexpected,” but still came suddenly on Friday.
“And then to make matters even crazier, he was pronounced dead in his home and they were able to revive him, and so for a short period of time he was alive and there was faint hope that he was going to pull through it and of course we were all laughing saying, ‘of course he’s gonna live’ cuz that’s who he is,” Corgan said.
Corgan Sr., however, did not survive, passing away in a helicopter on his way to another medical facility. And, in a tribute to the showbiz family he was born into, Corgan vowed that the “show will go on,” announcing that the planned Saturday night holiday gig at his vegan tea shop, Madame Zuzu’s in Chicago’s Highland Park neighborhood, would proceed as planned.
“I had a very long, crazy, complicated relationship with my father,” said Corgan, who lost his mother in 1996. “On the bright side of it all, he inspired me to be the musician that I am, he made me be way better than I ever would have been without him. He was a fantastic musician and a great teacher in his own way.”
In a video posted on Saturday, Corgan described signing a book deal a decade ago for a memoir he planned to fill with real-life stories, including ones about his father. The singer — who had a contentious relationship with his blues guitarist dad for many years — said he gave William Sr. a heads-up that he was planning to write about him in the book. “‘What are you going to write?’” Corgan said his dad asked him. “‘Well, I’m just going to tell the truth. I’m just going to say what happened from my perspective, I don’t have a bone to pick.’ He said, ‘well, just tell the truth, I’m good with that.’”
Corgan said his father encouraged him to be that forthright person and he still is. “I carry that forth,” Corgan said. And so, Corgan was joined by his partner, Chloe Mendel, and their two children at Saturday night’s show, where Billy played “Do You Hear What I Hear?” with his adorable toddler daughter, Philomena, as well as the holiday originals “The Magi and the Shiny Bright” and “Evergreen.”
Check out Corgan’s videos and tributes below.
WILLIAM DALE CORGAN, 1947-2021
“He inspired me to be the musician that I am. He made me be way better than I would have ever been. He was a fantastic musician, and a great teacher in his own way.” pic.twitter.com/cEiBekR0FC— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) December 19, 2021
— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) December 19, 2021
— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) December 21, 2021
— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) December 21, 2021
Wonderful Corgan Family and Friends Christmas show at Madame Zuzu’s! pic.twitter.com/9TfQXH9SWv
— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) December 19, 2021
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