Greg Brown, Founding Guitarist of Cake, Has Died

Greg Brown, the founding guitarist of CAKE who played an integral role on the band’s first two albums, has died.

CAKE announced Brown’s death on Saturday, saying that he passed away after a “brief illness.” “Greg was an integral part of CAKE’s early sound and development,” their statement said. “His creative contributions were immense, and his presence—both musical and personal—will be deeply missed. Godspeed, Greg.”

Brown played on both CAKE’s 1994 debut Motorcade of Generosity and its 1996 follow-up Fashion Nugget. In particular, he is credited for writing the band’s breakout hit “The Distance” from Fashion Nugget.

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Shortly before the release of CAKE’s third album, Brown left the band to form deathray, releasing the project’s debut album in 2000. deathray became his primary focus throughout the decade, though he also collaborated with Rivers Cuomo in the short-lived supergroup Homie and worked on a Matt Sharp solo project. Brown later briefly reunited with CAKE, contributing guitar to the track “Bound Away” on their 2011 album Showroom of Compassion.