Daron Beck, frontman of Texas metal band Pinkish Black, has died. The band’s longtime label, Relapse Records, shared the news on social media on Friday, August 23, writing, “Daron was a kind, extremely funny, and gentle soul who made some of the most creative and compelling music ever released on Relapse Records. Our hearts go out to his partner Lisa, his mother Debbie, his bandmate Jon, and everyone else who was lucky enough to have crossed his path.” Beck passed away of natural causes following medical complications, a rep for the label confirmed to Pitchfork. He was 48.
Beck formed Pinkish Black with drummer Jon Teague in 2011. The duo had previously played in The Great Tyrant, a doom-jazz project with bassist Tommy Atkins that ended when Atkins committed suicide in 2010.
Pinkish Black’s self-titled debut album arrived in 2012, featuring Beck on vocals and keyboards while Teague played percussion. The following year, Pinkish Black released Razed to the groundfollowed by their debut album Relapse, 2015 Morning background. They released a fourth studio album, Unification des conceptswas released in 2019, followed by a 2020 collaboration with Yells at Eels titled Light disappeared in the tunnel of dreams.
Beyond Pinkish Black, Daron Beck played in Zombi & Friends, a collective that covered soft rock tunes from the 1970s and 1980s. In 2018, a GoFundMe was started for Beck after he suffered two heart attacks.
