Prince Drummer John Blackwell Jr. Dead at 43 After a Year-Long Cancer Battle
The famous and stylish former drummer of Prince, John Blackwell Jr., has pa s sed away at the age of 43 on Tuesday 4th of July. The stylish percussion powerhouse performer who had a 15-year-long tenure with Prince was battling cancer since 2016.
His wife Yaritza announced the sad news on Blackwell's Instagram with his photo and a caption that reads:
"My husband incredible drummer John Blackwell Jr. pa s sed the way peacefully in my company today. Thanks God for his life and thanks everyone for their support. -Yaritza
The late Drummer's fans are expressing their sorrow on his demise through tweets and other social media mentions. Some of the tweets are:
Rest In Peace #JohnBlackwelljr . Incredible drummer. Say hi 2 Prince 4 me in heaven where it's gonna get funky.
— Marco de la Vega (@bistou_fly) July 5, 2017
#RIP #JohnBlackwellJr Former #Drummer for #Prince. He was only 43.https://t.co/80lvuHuYTX pic.twitter.com/VX4gpWD4qd
— LKVents (@LKVents) July 5, 2017
John was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 after undergoing a series of check-ups at a hospital in Japan. Yaritza set up a GoFundMe page last July to help cover the medical expenses, she has raised over $78,000 to date.
Our condolences are with the family in this time of grief and great loss.