Wayne Swinny, the band's guitarist and a founding member of Saliva, has passed away. He was 59.
Swinny was discovered "in medical distress" and taken to a nearby hospital as the band was on tour and about to perform in Pittsburg on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post by the group on Wednesday.
Swinny was hospitalized in the hospital's intensive care unit after being diagnosed with what the band described as a "spontaneous hemorrhage in his brain" after arriving at the facility.
By late Wednesday afternoon, the band had sent its followers a second update, letting them know that Swinny had passed away.
"It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our brother Wayne Swinny. Wayne passed away this afternoon from a Spontaneous brain hemorrhage while we were out on tour," the band's announcement reads. "Details for the funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. Wayne will be missed by all those who knew him. We love you, Wayne."
Swinny was the sole surviving member of the band's original lineup, according to Loudwire, after vocalist Josey Scott and bassist Dave Novotny left the group in 2011 and 2015, respectively.
After learning of Swinny's passing, Bobby Amuru, who joined the group in 2011 to replace Scott, gave the outlet a comment about him.
"I'm not even sure what to think or how to feel right now. My heart aches for Wayne's family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him," Amaru said. "My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved that little girl so much. He was a Guitar Hero onstage with all the Rock 'N' Roll swag that most guitar players dream of. Offstage he was a proud father, an Ancient Aliens expert, and an incredible human who had zero enemies! He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time."
"I'm grateful that I got to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on the stage and, most importantly, off the stage," continued the vocalist. "He was the older brother I never had. I learned so much from him, and we had a f--king blast together! I will cherish it all for the rest of my life! God Bless you, Wayne. I know we'll meet again!"
