Greg Brown, founding guitarist of Cake, dies

Greg Brown, founding guitarist of Cake, has died. The news was announced today through the band's social media channels, which stated that Brown passed away "after a brief illness". He had played a central role in the band's formative phase and in shaping its early sound.

In the message shared online, the band wrote: "It is with great sadness that we share the news of Greg Brown's passing after a brief illness. Greg was a fundamental part of Cake's sound and early development. His creative contributions were enormous, and his presence, both musical and personal, will be deeply missed. Safe travels, Greg".

Brown had co-founded Cake in 1991 alongside singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, drummer Frank French and bassist Shon Meckfessel. A guitarist and keyboardist, he co-wrote material and played on both of the band's first two albums, "Motorcade Of Generosity" (1994) and "Fashion Nugget" (1996). On the latter, he was the sole writer of "The Distance", one of the best-known and most recognizable songs in Cake's catalogue.

In 1997 Brown left the band along with bassist Victor Damiani. The two went on to found Deathray with Dana Gumbiner; a few years later, fellow former Cake member Todd Roper also joined the lineup. Over the course of his career, Brown also collaborated with Rivers Cuomo and Matt Sharp on projects outside Weezer, and in 2023 he released the solo EP "The End Of Something New".

Despite leaving the band in the Nineties, Brown returned to work with Cake on the track "Bound Away", included on their last studio album, "Showroom Of Compassion" (2011).

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