After losing a battle against lung cancer, TV On The Radio bassist Gerard Smith, 36, died Wednesday morning (April 20), according to an announcement on the band's Website.
"We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer," reads the band's statement. "Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly."
Smith's death comes about five weeks after the band released a statement that he was diagnosed with cancer and would not be able to participate in the group's recent tour. He had been a member of TV On The Radio since 2005. The band's new album, 'Nine Types of Light,' and a feature-length film that included music videos for each of the disc's 10 songs were released last week to largely favorable reviews.
The band also announced that shows from April 20-26 scheduled in Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis and Denver have been canceled.