August 19, 2008

Fans of the Dave Matthews Band mourn the death of one of their founding band members Wednesday.

Saxophone player, Leroi Moore died Tuesday afternoon. The official DMB website reports that the death of 46-year-old LeRoi Moore is a result of complications from his injuries after an ATV (all terrain, four wheel vehicle) accident at his farm outside of Charlottesville.

That accident happened earlier this summer. In recent weeks, Moore had returned to his home in Los Angeles to begin physical rehabilitation, but complications forced him back into the hospital.

Born in North Carolina and raised in Virginia, Moore studied the tenor saxophone at James Madison University. Later, his jazz career would bring him to Charlottesville. In 1991 he met up with Dave Matthews. Moore would become one of the founding members of the Band.

Moore's death is being described as sudden by friends and family. He died Tuesday afternoon at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in L.A.

The band performed Tuesday night in L.A. to a sell-out crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Matthews paid tribute to the late Moore by saying, "Our good friend LeRoi Moore passed on and gave his ghost up today, and we will miss him forever."

There is no word yet if the Dave Matthews Band will continue their summer tour.