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Saliva guitarist Wayne Swinny dies at 59 from brain hemorrhage while on tour

Wayne Swinny, a guitarist and founding member of the Grammy-nominated rock band Saliva, died Wednesday at 59 after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on tour.

The band announced the news on Facebook and added, "Wayne will be missed by all those who knew him." In a previous post, the band said Swinny that "was discovered Tuesday morning in medical distress and paramedics were called. He was transported to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain."

Swinny was the last remaining original member of Saliva, which he formed in Memphis in 1996 with Josey Scott, Chris Dabaldo, Dave Novotny, and Paul Crosby. Current members include Bobby Amaru, Brad Stewart, and Sammi Jo Bishop.

Wayne Swinny of Saliva
Wayne Swinny of Saliva

Lyle A. Waisman/FilmMagic Wayne Swinny of Saliva

Saliva have released 10 studio albums, including Every Six Seconds; Love, Lies & Therapy; and 10 Lives. Their notable songs include "Click Click Boom" and "Your Disease" (which earned a Grammy nom for Best Hard Rock Performance), and they released their most recent single, "High on Me," last year.

Amaru, the band's frontman, said in a statement to Rolling Stone, "My heart aches for Wayne's family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him." He added that Swinny "was a guitar hero onstage with all the rock n' roll swag that most guitar players dream of. Offstage he was a proud father, an Ancient Aliens expert, and an incredible human who had zero enemies! He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time."

At the time of Swinny's death, Saliva were in the midst of their Spring Mayhem Tour along with Through Fire and Any Given Sin. The band did not immediately provide an update on the tour's status.

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