Longtime Beach Boys member Jeffrey Foskett died Monday at the age of 67 after a battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Foskett was a beloved artist that was lovingly nicknamed the “vice principal of the Beach Boys” by his fellow band mates. He was in Brian Wilson’s solo band from 1998-2014, and was in Love’s Beach Boys from 1981-1998. He rejoined again in 2015 and remained with the group until his stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2019, according to Variety.
“I’m so heartbroken that my dear friend Jeff Foskett has passed,” Brian Wilson wrote in a lengthy tribute to social media.
View this post on Instagram
“Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn’t have done it without him,” Wilson wrote.
“Jeff was one of the most talented guys I ever knew. He was a great musical leader and guitarist and he could sing like an angel.”
Wilson went on to share memories of his late friend and band mate as part of his emotional social media post.
View this post on Instagram
“I first met Jeff in 1976 when he knocked on my door in Bel Air and I invited him in, and we were friends ever since. I don’t know what else to say. Love and Mercy to Jeff’s family and friends, we will remember him forever,” he wrote.
His message was written alongside an image of both men, as they smiled for the camera.
View this post on Instagram
Foskett’s long career in the music industry included a series of solo albums including “Thru My Window,” released in 1996. He was honored by Italia Guitars, with the release of a series of guitars named after him in the late 2010s, according to Variety. (RELATED: Famous Actor Andre Braugher Dead At 61)
Fans and fans are paying tribute to Foskett on social media and sharing their fondest memories of a star whose memory will live on through the music he shared with the world.