Tyler Hedstrom, the talented young drummer for Anarbor, has died at the age of 17. He will be the third musician to remind the world of the tragedy of self inflicted death in as many months.
The band, who last toured Australia in 2013 as part of Vans Warped Tour, took to Facebook to share the heartbreaking news that the talented teen and relatively new addition to their lineup took his own life earlier this week.
Hedstrom had joined the band this year, after Anarbor released their third, self-titled, album last year.
Acknowledging the recent suicides of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington to suicide, the band said in a public Facebook message that "the music community has been hit by this tragedy way too often,"
The statement also announced that they will be working to help fans who may be dealing with similar thoughts by spreading Tyler's story.
There is an official hashtag, #forTyTy, for fans to connect on social media.
“Tyler was 17, a gifted and magnificent musician and an inspiration to all of us. He was changing how we approached our live show, how we approached music and most of all how we approached people. You made us a better band, you made all of us better people”, the band wrote in a statement.
“Tyler, we miss you, everyone does, you became part of another family when you joined the band, a music family that stretches across the world, and we are all here for you. You don’t know this yet, but you’re helping so many people right now with your story, it’s invaluable the effect you had on us, your family and people around you, and this won’t stop, you’re here forever with us.”
The band have also started a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for his funeral, along with donations to charities that work with suicide prevention and treating mental illness.