Earlier this week, the sad news broke that Oso Oso guitarist Tavish Maloney had passed away. Oso Oso leader — and longtime friend of Tavish — Jade Lilitri penned a lengthy tribute:

I feel like Ive been putting off writing this as long as I can because I don’t want it to feel anymore real then it does. I don’t want to say goodbye, I don’t want the fucking world to keep turning with out you. This past Thursday was without a doubt the worst day of my life, Our family lost Tavish. I mean it when I say I didn’t even know it was possible to hurt like this.

I can’t stop thinking about the very first time I met you as a little boy coming up to me at your birthday party saying “I got dardt maul on my cake”(not a typo) or you sitting in the shopping cart at the supermarket singing creed (the take me higher song lmao). I can’t believe our relationship or how it developed or the things we did and saw together. I wish I could go back to riding around Long Beach in your car after your 18th birthday smoking blunt after blunt talking about music. I wish I knew how different my life was going to be after that, you on the other hand knew exactly (this was before oso oso even existed and he was like ‘you’ll see were gonna be playing music together touring all the time’-less than two years later we were playing music together on tour.)

I wish I could go back to the times where I felt depressed and lonely and asked you to chill and you drove for hours to chill for days no questions asked, even if we did nothing. I feel like nobody can understand the special thing we had, and I know a number of people are feeling that way because the love you gave wasn’t bullshit, it was real and authentic, and unique to each person every time.

My heart is broken and I cant call the person who has bailed me out every time before when my heart has broken. I would give anything in the world to see you again. Im so glad I got to spend 5 weeks with you the last month, I wish I would’ve known those were going to be some of the most special days of my life.

The last thing I wanna say for now is I want people to know how well Tav was doing well, he was healthy happy and ready to thrive, we were filming a movie together, he had just started writing music for his album we were going to produce in the summer and couldn’t wait till we could get to tour again.

Tavish was literally a rockstar in every sense of the word he found the coolness in everything creative, he treated the stage like church and the audience like god. I cant believe your gone I miss you I miss your voice I miss your smile I miss the stars in your eyes whenever the world would give you back a fraction of what you gave it. Tavish I love you so fucking much, and thank you for telling me that first all the time otherwise idk if i wouldve had the courage to say it back and this would be even harder.

This life is so fragile. I dont know what to say other than Love hard. I cant believe ill never get to watch adam sandler with or hide in weird places and scare eachother, or argue about whos going to roll the next blunt with my little baby brother i never deserved in the first place. Tavish there will never be enough words or enough time for the rest of my life, i love you i love i love you.

Thank you if reached out this week im sorry if i didnt respond i will look at every message when i can and i appreciate it. Please dont stop sharing stories of Tav, he was the funniest person i knew and seeing stories is the only thing making any of this more bearable.

RIP TAVISH SLOAN MALONEY

Tributes have also come in from Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Kississippi, The Hotelier’s Christian Holden, Mom Jeans, Retirement Party, California Cousins, Triple Crown Records, Counter Intuitive Records, and more. See their posts below.

Rest in peace, Tavish.