Saliva Guitarist Wayne Swinny Dies at 59

The band had just begun their Spring Mayhem headlining tour

Saliva guitarist Wayne Swinny has died. Swinny had been hospitalized after suffering a spontaneous brain hemorrhage, the band’s publicist confirmed. He was 59 years old. Swinny was found Tuesday morning (March 21) and taken to the hospital, and died Wednesday afternoon.

“It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our brother Wayne Swinny,” Saliva said in a statement. “Wayne passed away this afternoon from a Spontaneous brain hemorrhage while we were out on tour. Details for the funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. Wayne will be missed by all those who knew him.”

“I’m not even sure what to think or how to feel right now,” frontman Bobby Amaru said. “My heart aches for Wayne’s family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him. My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved that little girl so much. He was a Guitar Hero onstage with all the Rock ‘N’ Roll swag that most guitar players dream of. Offstage he was a proud father, an Ancient Aliens expert, and an incredible human who had zero enemies! He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time. I’m grateful that I got to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on the stage and most importantly off the stage. He was the older brother I never had. I learned so much from him and we had a fucking blast together! I will cherish it all for the rest of my life! God Bless you Wayne. I know we’ll meet again!”

Saliva recently embarked on a spring U.S. tour. The band performed at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 20. The group was schedule to play at Jergel’s last night (March 21) in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh.

Wayne Swinny was one of the founding members of Saliva in 1996. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1997. The band exploded in 2001 with their double-platinum sophomore LP Every Six Seconds. The record featured the hit singles “Click Click Boom” and the GRAMMY®-nominated “Your Disease.” The follow-up, 2002’s Back Into Your System, peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.

The band’s last studio effort was 2018’s 10 Lives. It was released on Megaforce Records and produced by frontman Bobby Amaru. Last year, Saliva released three new singles – “Revelation Man,” “High on Me,” and “Crows.”