Rob Laasko obit

 

Rob Laakso, of Kurt Vile & The Violators, Dead at 44

He was also a member of Swirlies and Mice Parade

He was not on the list.

Rob Laakso, a member of Kurt Vile’s band The Violators, has died at the age of 44 following a battle with cancer.

Laakso became a full-time member of The Violators in 2013, replacing Adam Granduciel. He contributed to a majority of Vile’s albums, including 2013’s Wakin on a Pretty Daze, 2015’s b’lieve I’m goin down…, and 2018’s Bottle It In. He most recently worked with Vile on his 2022 album, Watch My Moves.

Laasko also played in the shoegaze band Swirlies and the indie rock band Mice Parade.

He is survived by his wife, Mamie-Claire, and their two children. A GoFundMe page has been launched on the family’s behalf.

Laakso was also a multi-instrumentalist who has played in the shoegaze band Swirlies, among others. Born in Massachusetts in 1979, Laakso was a graduate of Emerson College.

After contributing to Vile's second and fourth studio albums, God Is Saying This to You... (2009) and Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011), Laakso became a full member of The Violators in 2011, following the departure of guitarist Adam Granduciel. Upon joining the band, Laakso contributed heavily to Vile's subsequent studio albums, Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013), b'lieve I'm goin down... (2015), Bottle It In (2018) and (watch my moves) (2022).

Laakso died on May 4, 2023, at the age of 44, after battling cholangiocarcinoma, a fairly rare and aggressive form of cancer of the bile duct.