Cardinals bassist Chris Feinstein has passed away at his Manhattan home. He was 42.
Feinstein, endearingly known by the awesome nickname of Spacewolf by bandmates and fans alike, recorded and toured as a member of Ryan Adams & the Cardinals for their last two full-length albums, Easy Tiger and Cardinology. His discography also includes numerous songwriting credits for Santigold’s then-eponymous album Santogold, and bass performance on Albert Hammond, Jr.’s song “Scared” from his solo album, Yours to Keep.
Most recently, Feinstein and fellow Cardinals Jon Graboff, Brad Pemberton, and Neal Casal recorded and performed with New Zealand-born singer/songwriter Gin Wigmore.
All three surviving Cardinals members have posted reactions to this sad news online, including a series of photographs on guitarist Neal Casal’s blog and drummer Brad Pemberton’s Facebook message: “This is the saddest day of my life. I lost my best friend today…things will never be quite the same.” Matthew Ryan a friend and former collaborator with Feinstein also posted a tribute on YouTube earlier today.
**Update: Chris Feinstein’s family have started a memorial fund in his honor, as they are hoping for donations to help handle funeral expenses. Please donate, if you can, to their Paypal account at feinstein.memorial@gmail.com or check out their Facebook page here.