Van Halen founding member, bass player Mark Stone, has died after a long battle with cancer.
According to friends and family, Stone had been under hospice care up until his passing. The news of his death was reported by his brother David on Instagram:
Stone had been there with the Van Halen brothers from the beginnings when the band went by other names like Genesis and Mammoth. Then when Van Halen was born in 1972, Stone continued to slap the bass until he departed the band in 1974. According to the book Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, Mark was let go because of his unwillingness to sing background vocals on the album.
You can hear Mark’s work on the officially unreleased demo tracks “Gentleman of Leisure,” “Angel Eyes,” “Glitter” and “Believe Me.”
Cox Media Group
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