Guitarist Ryan Siew dead at 26: Aussie metalcore band Polaris confirms death of ‘brave and talented’ musician on eve of European tour – a week after cryptic post about a ‘personal crisis’
- Ryan Siew, 26, died last Monday, the band announced on Wednesday
- Guitarist had been a member of the metalcore five-piece for ten years
- Tragic news comes a week after Polaris pulled out of European summer tour
- At the time, the group cited an unspecified ‘personal crisis’ for cancelling dates
Ryan Siew, the guitarist of popular Australian metalcore band Polaris, has died unexpectedly at the age of 26.
He died over a week ago – on June 19 – but the band waited until Wednesday to confirm his passing in an Instagram post.
They also said their European summer tour will no longer go ahead.
‘It is with shattered hearts and the deepest sorrow that we tell you our dear brother and bandmate Ryan Siew passed away on the morning of Monday, June 19,’ they wrote.
‘He was 26 years old, and for 10 incredible years, he was our best friend and artistic soulmate.
‘Those years will never be enough. He was kind-hearted and clever, he was funny and brave and creative, and he was talented beyond all measure.’
Ryan Siew, the guitarist of popular Australian metalcore band Polaris, has died at the age of 26
The statement continued: ‘We ask that you please respect the wishes of Ryan’s family for privacy at this time, and likewise that you give us, our team and family the space to grieve and attempt to heal from this immeasurable loss.
‘We know that you will be grieving with us and that we, and our community, will hold each other through this.’
Just a week before confirming Siew’s death, the band shocked fans by pulling out of their European tour due to a then-unspecified ‘personal crisis’.
‘To our friends across Europe,’ they wrote at the time. ‘We are heartbroken to tell you that due to a personal crisis in our family, we will be withdrawing from all remaining dates of our current European summer run.’
The group added: ‘This is not something we take lightly and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience or disappointment caused.’
Polaris (L-R: Rick Schneider, Jamie Hails, Ryan Siew, Daniel Furnari and Jake Steinhauser) are pictured at the 2018 ARIA Awards in Sydney
‘He was kind-hearted and clever, he was funny and brave and creative, and he was talented beyond all measure,’ the band said of Siew
Other members of Polaris include vocalist Jamie Hails, guitarist Rick Schneider, bassist Jake Steinhauser and drummer Daniel Furnari.
They were formed in Sydney in 2012 when they were all still teenagers.
The group won an ARIA Award in 2021 for Best Independent Heavy Album or EP for their sophomore album The Death of Me.
The album also reached the top forty in Germany, where the band enjoyed considerable success.
Polaris (seen outside the Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Sydney) won an ARIA Award in 2021 for Best Independent Heavy Album or EP for their sophomore album The Death of Me
Siew’s death is the latest in a string of tragedies to hit the metal community in recent years.
Riley Gale, the singer of thrash metal band Power Trip, suffered a pulmonary edema as a result of a fentanyl overdose in August 2020, aged 34.
The Black Dahlia Murder frontman Trevor Strnad, 41, died by suicide in May 2022.
Saliva guitarist Wayne Swinny died in March after suffering a brain hemorrhage.
Tim Aymar, singer of Pharaoh and Control Denied, died aged 59 in February.
Josua Madsen, the drummer for Danish thrash metal band Artillery since 2021, was killed earlier this year when he was hit by a bus.
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