Unwound bassist Vern Rumsey has reportedly died at the age of 47. Few details about the death were revealed, but his passing was shared by Rumsey’s Household Gods bandmate Conan Neutron.
“Absolutely stunned and shocked. Vern Rumsey is gone. I have no details at all. One of the sweetest and most pure hearts I know and one of my favorite bass players of all time. I can barely process this right now,” wrote Neutron in a social media post (seen below).”I was such a fan of what he did, one of my favorite bass players of all time in one of my favorite bands (Unwound). He was a compatriot, my Household Gods bandmate and my friend of many years. I’m devastated. This is impossibly heavy and I can barely handle it.”
Rumsey was a founding member of the early ’90s post-hardcore outfit Unwound, who would release eight albums between 1991 and 2001, as well as one EP and a live album. The group would split in 2002 after co-headlining the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival.
The bassist would play in a number of bands over the years, also overseeing the Punk in My Vitamins record label for a period. Most recently, he had formed Household Gods with former Slint and Zwan member David Pajo, Neutron and Palo Verde’s Lauren K. Newman.
Unwound, “Pure Pain Sugar”
Household Gods, “Rest in Power”
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