by Jeffrey Foskett, a beloved longtime member of The Beach Boys, has died after a long battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer. The American singer-guitarist was 67.
Foskett’s family confirmed his death in a statement shared on Instagram, thanking his friends and fans for their “outpouring of love and support”.
“We love reading about every show, every tour memory, and every smile he brought to the world,” the statement read. “It gives us great joy to know that Jeff played such an important role in many of our lives, as he did in yours.
“It was so special and we are so grateful that the world got to experience it,” the message continued. “There really was no one like him and there never will be.”
The singer-guitarist, who joined the Beach Boys in the Eighties and also played in Brian Wilson and Mike Love’s touring bands, was diagnosed with stage 4 anaplastic thyroid cancer in 2019.
Despite his health struggles, he released the album Voices – including covers of songs such as The Beach Boys hits “I Shall Be Released” and “Good Vibrations” and “Laughter in the Rain” by Neil Sedaka.
Foskett said Rolling Stone he struggled to accept that Voices probably his last album, explaining “it’s very difficult to call it that” because “my voice is my instrument”.
Wilson, 81, paid tribute to Foskett in a heartfelt message shared on Facebook on Monday (December 11).
“Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn’t do it without him,” Wilson, 81, wrote. “Jeff was one of the most talented people I have ever known. He was a great music leader and guitarist and could sing like an angel.”
He recalled the first time he met Foskett, an ardent Beach Boys fan, on his birthday in 1978 when he “knocked on my door in Bel Air and I invited him in.”
“We’ve been friends ever since,” WIlson told him. “I don’t know what else to say. Love and Mercy to Jeff’s family and friends. We will always remember him.”
The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine recalled Foskett’s “infectious positive spirit” in a tribute shared on Instagram.
“He was so talented on so many different levels but it was his great sense of humor that kept him level and helped him deal with all the hard knocks you get in the music business,” wrote the 81-year-old musician. age.
“Jeff had an infectious positive spirit and never gave up hope. God bless his beautiful spirit and zeal for life, we will miss him dearly and cherish all the wonderful times we shared together,” he said. “Keeping his wife Diana, his daughter and his family and fans in our thoughts.
“Rest in peace Jeff and thank you for always making us smile.”
Born in San Jose, California, Foskett became a fan of The Beach Boys after hearing their song “I Get Around”. A few months after meeting Brian in 1976, Love found him at a famous Santa Barbara restaurant where Foskett was performing.
Shortly after, Foskett began touring with the singer’s Endless Summer Beach Band.
When founding member of The Beach Boys, Carl Wilson, decided to pursue a solo music career, Love invited Foskett to take his place, and the singer asked him to stay on even after Carl returned, which he did it until 1990.
“In 1990, I took a break at the request of Michael and Carl,” Foskett previously said. “I was doing a lot of work in the Japanese market, writing my own songs. I was making very good money as a solo artist, and I released six or eight original albums over there. They were being used in advertisements and television shows. I did very well.
In 1998, he was invited to play guitar with Brian, who was being presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Shortly thereafter, Brian’s wife, Melinda Wilson, asked Foskett to put together a touring band for her husband for his solo tour.
Foskett reunited with The Beach Boys in 2012 for their 50th anniversary tour, when they played around 75 shows together.
“That was the most fun trip I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on a lot of trips,” he said. “And then the next year, Brian and Jeff Beck got together and did the Brian and Jeff Beck tour. And that was the most stressful trip I’ve ever had.
“So I went from the most fun people to the most stressful. And I thought, “Well, I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” he said.
Reflecting on his diagnosis, Foskett said anaplastic thyroid cancer is the “grimst as far as prognosis” as he revealed he was being treated as part of a clinical trial at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
His last social media post was in March of this year, when Foskett shared a video of himself ringing a bell at the Houston-based institution after completing four years of treatment.
“I don’t often post on Social but I thought this milestone was significant,” he captioned his post. “Thank you all for your prayers. They work! I am living proof. I am one of God’s Walking Miracles.”
