SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Rick Froberg, a vocalist, guitarist, and graphic artist best known for leading the iconic San Diego band Drive Like Jehu and bringing the tense aesthetic of math rock closer to mainstream music, died on Friday, June 30, in San Diego. He died at the age of 55 and was fondly remembered by his bandmates as they announced the news.
In a post on Instagram on Saturday, July 1, John Reis, Froberg's longtime partner in the bands Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu announced his death. Reis wrote in the caption: "Rick passed away suddenly last night from natural causes. His art made life better. The only thing he loved more than art and rock n roll was his friends. He will forever be remembered for his creativity, vision and his ability to bring beauty into this world. I love you, Rick. I will miss you for the rest of my life."
How did Rick Froberg die?
According to Reis' Instagram post on Saturday, Froberg "passed away suddenly last night from natural causes." The exact details beyond this are yet to be known to the public. In the late 1980s, Froberg and Reis formed the post-hardcore band Pitchfork. They later came together to form the emo rock band Drive Like Jehu, and in 1994, Interscope Records distributed Yank Crime, their major label debut.
'Rick Froberg an actual musical hero'
Fans and followers of Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes took to social media to pay tribute to the late rock musician. One fan wrote on Twitter, "Rick Froberg an actual musical hero. Genius musician, genius lyricist, genius visual artist. The music of Hot Snakes will live inside my mind until I leave the planet. Rest in peace Rick." A second fan wrote, "R.I.P. Rick Froberg Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, The Obits, Pretty much the soundtrack of my life for the last 30 years. An icon has been lost." A third fan exclaimed, "R.i.p. rick froberg, rick froberg forever." A fourth fan of the rock bands typed, "So incredibly sad to hear about Rick Froberg. Loved him as a friend, singer, artist, songwriter. A super cool person that never made a bad record in a thirty year career. And a very fun hang. We’ll all miss ya, Rick. This btw is the greatest 7” of all time." Another tweet read, "I woke up to the shittiest news possible. Rest in peace Rick Froberg. I don't need to tell you how much Drive Likke Jehu's music meant to me, the San Diego scene and the music world as a whole. I count myself blessed to have briefly got to hang out with him recently. RIP Rick"
Another fan wrote, "Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, The Obits - incredible bands. Amazing artwork. Pfork and DLJ defined the early 90s for me. RIP Rick Froberg." Someone else wrote, "R.I.P. Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Pitchfork). Drive Like Jehu, 6/11/94, Middle East. This was the only time I saw Rick play live. I remember it was like 100 degrees in the club and the mindblowing version of "Sinews." The whole set was mindblowing." One more Rick fan chimed in, "RIP my bud and one of my hugest musical inspirations Rick Froberg. I got his Yank Crime cover art as my first tattoo in time for the Drive Like Jehu reunion at the Balboa Park Ampitheater on my birthday in 2013." One more tweet read, "RIP Rick Froberg seriously one of the best voices in rock and roll, in two of my favorite bands of all time, and an incredible visual artist," One fan also wrote, "Rick Froberg sung and played effortlessly in the only language I ever understood, absolute panic... two microphonic 60s japanese pickups hammering a faceless Marshall, razor sharp and slashing, grasping for some far off surface that never seemed to come. Fuck this one hurts. RIP."
Rick Froberg was a singer, guitarist and visual artist
Froberg, who was born in Los Angeles, spent a long time in Encinitas, California, where he played in a number of bands around the San Diego region. As a teenager, he and Reis founded the band Pitchfork. After Pitchfork split up in 1990, the two created Drive Like Jehu with Mark Trombino on the drums and Mike Kennedy on bass. In 1991, they launched their self-titled debut.
Drive Like Jehu was signed to the major label Interscope Records in the early 1990s as a package deal that also included Reis' popular album Rocket from the Crypt. Drive Like Jehu specialized in loud, ambitious rock style that was a major influence on bands like Modest Mouse and At the Drive-In.
In addition to creating music, Froberg was an illustrator who created eye-catching album covers for his bands and artwork for bands like Rocket from the Crypt. He formed the band Obits with former Edsel guitarist Sorab Habibion in 2006 after relocating to Brooklyn, New York, in the early 2000s. Froberg has also performed with Thingy and The Last of the Juanitas. In an Instagram post from two weeks before his death on June 14, he mentioned that Hot Snakes was working on another record and that it was "very near done."
