Oli Herbert, founding member and lead guitarist of the band All That Remains, passed away at the age of 44 yesterday — and now more information has emerged about the cause of death.
His publicist Suzanne Penley told Metal Sucks that he died as the result of an accident which took place on his property in Connecticut. Meanwhile, TMZ and Billboard both later reported that Oli was found dead in a pond near his home.
“On behalf of Oli’s wife and family, I can confirm that Oli Herbert passed away yesterday unexpectedly as a result of an accident which occurred on the property of his home. He was 44 years old,” Penley said in a statement.
“No further details are being released at this time. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced once that information is available. The family requests for privacy during this time but does wish to express their appreciation to fans worldwide for the outpouring of condolences.”
TMZ said that police were dispatched to Oli’s Stafford Springs home Tuesday afternoon after someone reported him missing. The police found him in a nearby pond. Police are not said to believe that his death is suspicious, but it is expected that an autopsy will be performed to identify the full cause and manner of death.
Oli’s widow Beth took to Facebook after the news of his death was released, revealing that she didn’t want to provide any details until she knew everything that had happened.
“Hello, everyone, this is Beth, Oli’s widow. Thank you all for the kind thoughts and words. I don’t want to go into what happened until we have a complete picture, but as soon as we do there will be a statement from the family on this page. In the meantime, please respect our privacy as there are still relatives being informed of Oli’s passing. Thank you,” she revealed.
All That Remains also wrote a message on Instagram revealing they were devastated to learn of his passing.
Herbert started playing guitar at the age of 14 with his first paid gig being a high school performance for a Battle of the Bands. He was paid $25 after winning third place. He later completed an associate’s degree in Classical and Jazz Guitar and he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition.
Herbert’s love for metal music started in 1986 when he was introduced to Motley Crue, Dokken, and Ozzy Osbourne. He also grew interested in Megadeth and Metallica. But he pointed to Beethoven as one of his top influencers, possibly given his past education in classical music.