Pink Grease guitarist Steven SantaCruz has died
Pink Grease guitarist Steven SantaCruz has died.
Reports of the musician’s passing have come in on Twitter today (January 29), with writer Daniel Dylan Wray one of the first to share the sad news earlier this morning.
“Incredibly sad this morning to learn the news that my old pal Steven SantaCruz has passed away,” Wray wrote. “Pink Grease are one of my fav ever Sheffield bands and very dear to me. Got so many fond memories of Steve. He was also a brilliant filmmaker. A real loss.”
Incredibly sad this morning to learn the news that my old pal Steven Santa Cruz has passed away. Pink Grease are one of my fav ever Sheffield bands and very dear to me. Got so many fond memories of Steve. He was also a brilliant filmmaker. A real loss. https://t.co/aQxLFOvbCo
— Daniel Dylan Wray (@DanielDylanWray) January 29, 2021
SantaCruz played guitar and provided vocals in Pink Grease, who were described by writer Simon Price in his tribute today as “a superb band, one of my favourite of the 00s”, while he also worked on the band’s videos.
You can see a selection of the tributes to SantaCruz below.
Incredibly sad to hear that Steven SantaCruz, guitarist with Pink Grease, has passed away. They were a superb band, one of my favourites of the 00s. He made their videos, as well. A lovely and talented man. R.I.P.https://t.co/LNwbfM2IxV
— Simon Price (@simon_price01) January 29, 2021
Oh man, that’s such sad news.
I used to see him around Sheffield in the Pink Grease days, then around East London years later and he always seemed to radiate an otherworldly and effortless cool.
R.I.P, S.S.C ?— Tom J Newell (@tomjnewell) January 29, 2021
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Ah, RIP Steven Santa Cruz. That's really floored me. What a lovely guy he was, so many good memories. pic.twitter.com/njjOEJSX0Y
— Rob Hyde (@rob_hyde) January 29, 2021
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Very sad to hear this .. had the pleasure of supporting Pink Grease along with The Things many moons ago bunch of very talented sounders always thought they should have been massive https://t.co/LfPT0Ml6Sz
— Caroline O'Sullivan (@CarolineAnnO) January 29, 2021
Very sad to hear that Steven Santa Cruz from Pink Grease has passed away and at such a young age. I didn't know them too well but they were the most original and exciting band to come out of Sheffield since Pulp. My condolences to his friends and family xhttps://t.co/zPK8d9YKQ1
— The Bowling Green (@DeanHoner) January 29, 2021
Sorry to hear about the passing of Stephen Santacruz, Pink Grease were very much a staple of Razor Stiletto lineups during the 00's and he was one of those people you always remember from those nights whether you knew him well or not.
— Adrian Carter (@adicarter) January 29, 2021
RIP my hugely talented old friend Steve Santacruz. A lot of you will know him as guitarist in Pink Grease, one of the most effortlessly cool people ever to walk the earth and a true icon of the early-mid ‘00s scene in Sheffield and beyond. https://t.co/uEtNSrxGE9
— Ralph (@Ralph_Razor) January 29, 2021
Pink Grease formed in Sheffield in 2002 and released the mini-album ‘All Over You’ the following year.
After touring with the likes of Ladytron and the Soledad Brothers in 2003, Pink Grease released their full-length debut ‘This Is For Real’ in June 2004 which included the single ‘Fever’.
The band had planned to release a follow-up album, ‘Mechanical Heart’, but the record was never officially released following their split from Mute Records. Pink Grease disbanded in 2007.