Jeremiah Green, a drummer who was a founding member of Modest Mouse, an indie rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s, passed away Saturday. He was 45.
His family, who confirmed his death on Facebook, said the cause was cancer. It was not immediately clear where he had died.
The band said on Instagram that Mr. Green had “retired and just died down” days after band member Isaac Brock shared the news that Mr. Green had cancer and was undergoing treatment.
Mr Green’s mother, Carol Namatame, said on Facebook over Christmas that he had stage 4 cancer. She did not specify the type of cancer.
mr. Green was one of the founding members of Modest Mouse, a band formed in the 1990s in Issaquah, Washington, outside of Seattle. The band’s hit singles include “Ocean Breathes Salty,” “Dashboard,” and “Float On,” which became a ubiquitous pop anthem and was sampled by rapper Lupe Fiasco in his song “The Show Goes On.”
Known for its textured and broad sound, from moody and experimental to light-hearted pop, Modest Mouse last released an album in 2021, ‘The Golden Casket’. It was the band’s first album in six years.
In its review, Pitchfork called the album a “procession of pinging, clattering, echoing tactile pleasures, an inventive backdrop to Isaac Brock’s familiar blend of forced optimism and casual paranoia.”
In a 2020 interview on the “Never Meet Your Idols” podcast, Mr. Green said he lived in Port Townsend, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest.
He talked about the accidental way he started playing the drums as a kid and remembered getting jealous after his brother got a bass. Mr. Green’s family then gave him a drum kit.
“We both really wanted to play music,” said Mr. Green, adding that he and his brother started listening to punk rock at an early age. “I don’t know why I chose drums.”
He cited early percussive influences such as Brendan Canty of the band Fugazi and Bill Ward of Black Sabbath. He said they both shaped his style and that he considered Johnny Marr, the former Smiths guitarist who later joined Modest Mouse, to be one of his musical idols.
on Twitter on Sunday, Mr. Marr said Mr. Green was a “friend, bandmate and the most creative musician I have ever met.”
A full list of Mr. Green’s survivors was not immediately available.
