SHARE

Legendary New England Rocker Dead At 53

Jon Wysocki, a founding member and former drummer of the band Staind died over the weekend at 56. 

Jon Wysocki, the former drummer of Staind, died over the weekend. 

Jon Wysocki, the former drummer of Staind, died over the weekend. 

Photo Credit: Facebook/Jon Wysocki

The Massachusetts native was born in Hampden County, where he would later meet the other members of the five-times-platinum group. 

He died on Saturday, March 18, due to complications with his liver, Variety reported

The band announced his death on social media.  

According to Variety, Wysocki was born in Westfield and would later go on to meet the other members of Staind — Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, and bassist Johnny April — in 1995 in Ludlow. They gigged across the Northeast until hitting it big in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

They would later be considered one of the defining acts of the post-grunge era of rock music. 

Wysocki left the group in 2011. 

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he lost a friend, and said Wysocki was someone he "loved like a brother."

I’m so sad. I lost my friend. A friend I loved like a brother… fought with like a brother… cared for like a brother… worried about like a brother… cried over like a brother… because he was my brother in arms. My journey would’ve been different without him.The battles we fought together. The battles we fought against each other. The battles we fought side by side alone with our own demons. The battles we won and the battles we lost. He was my friend. He was our brother. My heart is broken. My world has changed.I’ll see you on the other side my friend. My brother. Godspeed. My heart, my love, and my condolences go out to his family and loved ones. I’m so f**king sad. He will be missed.

Wysocki played on all of the band's seminal records, including "Break the Cycle," and on platinum-selling songs such as "It's Been Awhile" and "For You."

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Wysocki's age. It has been corrected. 

to follow Daily Voice Newtown and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE