Prince's Longtime Drummer Dead at 43 After Bout with Brain Tumors

Prince's Longtime Drummer Dead at 43 After Bout with Brain TumorsImage: Prince's Longtime Drummer Dead at 43 After Bout with Brain Tumors Image #22/2
John Blackwell Jr., the former drummer for music legend Prince, died at age 43 in Florida on Tuesday.
The news was shared on Blackwell's Instagram account by his wife Yaritza. "My husband incredible drummer John Blackwell Jr. passed the way peacefully in my company today. Thanks God for his life and thanks everyone for their support," she captioned the post.
Blackwell was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina in 1973. His father played the drums, and the junior Blackwell first picked up drum sticks at the age of 3. In the late '90s, Blackwell landed a gig drumming for Patti LaBelle before joining Prince's band The New Power Generation in 2000.
Later on, Blackwell played for the likes of Justin Timberlake and Diddy, and in 2015 he joined D'Angelo for the European leg of his 2015 The Second Coming Tour.
A cause of death hasn't been officially announced, but Blackwell was diagnosed with two brain tumors a year ago. He was hospitalized in Japan last year after experiencing problems with his left arm. When he left the hospital, his use of both arms was greatly diminished.
An outpouring of tributes from others in the music industry met the news of Blackwell's death, including a tweet from fellow drummer Travis Barker.
"Rest In Peace #JohnBlackwell Your legend will live 4ever," Barker wrote. "One of the best to ever pick up drumsticks. Prayers to family and friends."

Source: cbsnews.com