Power Trip’s lead singer Riley Gale dead at 34 as ‘devastated’ Ice T leads tributes
[ad_1]
Riley Gale, the lead singer of thrash metal group Power Trip, has died at the age of 34.
Gale’s family announced his death with a statement posted to the band’s Twitter on Tuesday.
‘It is with the greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,’ the statement said.
No cause of death was given.
Riley Gale’s family confirmed on Tuesday that the 34-year-old Texan rocker had died
The family issued a statement on Twitter, praising Riley as ‘larger than life’
‘Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend.
‘He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends.’
The statement continued to say that Power Trip’s fans ‘meant so much’ to Gale, and encouraged donations to Dallas Hope Charities in lieu of flowers.
Funeral arrangements are pending, the family said.
Riley formed Power Trip when he was 22 and in 2018 said he was astonished by their success
Gale was known for his high-energy performances and his outspoken nature
Power Trip formed in 2008, and the band released the album Manifest Destination in 2013, followed by Nightmare Logic in 2017, which made Rolling Stone’s list of the top 20 albums for that year.
They released a compilation album titled Opening Fire: 2008-2014 in 2018, and a live album earlier this year.
Revolver magazine said he was famed for ‘his high-energy onstage performances, politically charged lyrics and fearlessly outspoken statements to the press and on social media.’
Gale was politically outspoken, according to Pitchfork, with the song If Not Us Then Who inspired by the late civil rights icon John Lewis.
Gale spoke in interviews about how the album was also a reaction to extreme wealth disparity and the idea of a ‘revolt’ against the very rich.
Once, when Power Trip’s music played on Fox News, the band tweeted an all-caps ‘CEASE & DESIST.’
‘If you don’t like our stances, don’t support our band,’ Gale said in a 2018 Revolver interview.
‘It doesn’t make a single difference to us. We try to make it pretty clear that we might all be white males, but this is not a band for white males to enjoy and be dumb rednecks.’
Gale attended the University of North Texas and formed the band when he was 22.
Earlier this year, Gale collaborated with Ice-T’s band Body Count for track Point the Finger.
Ice told of his shock at hearing the news on Twitter.
Ice T led fans in expressing shock and sadness at Gale’s death, saying he was ‘speechless’
Another fan paid tribute to his powerful activism within the music community
Conor Donegan thanked Gale for having ‘changed my life’ with his kindness and support
‘I just got the news.. He was only 35.. I’m devastated.. Still don’t know how… I’m speechless. So Fd up.. smh,’ the rapper wrote.
Musician Connor Donegan thanked Gale for having ‘changed my life’.
He said: ‘Without Riley I’d legitimately be working some miserable office job instead of pursuing the things in life that I love.
‘In 2016 he called me out of the blue and basically forced me to drop out of school to go on tour with Power Trip. That experience completely changed my life.’
Another fan wrote: ‘He used his voice, status, & actions to strike against oppression in a music community too used to complacency & toxic masculinity.
‘We could all take a lesson from how he held himself & do better, no matter how we are doing now.
‘Thank you for yr care, yr work wont be forgotten.’
The comments were ‘liked’ more than 1,000 times.
Gale’s humility was admired by his friends and fans.
‘It’s a mystery to me that we’re as big as we are,’ he said in 2018.
‘I saw us hitting a ceiling a lot longer ago and now we’re having people telling us we could turn this into a career and I don’t know if I believe them.
‘I don’t even know if I have it in me, but we’re going to try.’
[ad_2]
Source link
