Former Suicidal Tendencies Bassist Bob Heathcote Dies in Motorcycle Crash

July 26, 2022 E Jazz Reporter

Bob Heathcote, a former bassist for Suicidal Tendencies, died over the weekend following a motorcycle accident. He was 58 years old.

The musician’s son confirmed the sad news in a Facebook post on Sunday, writing, “I cannot put words together other than the fact that this is a loss I will hardly recover (if ever), and the fact that he was a hard working father who raised five children, including me. His interests included music, traveling, race cars and attending race tracks. He was also a supporter of the Dodgers.”

The younger Heathcote then went on to memorialize his late father’s time with the thrash metal band, explaining that he was recruited to play bass on their 1988 album How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today, which contained the singles “Trip at the Brain” and the title track.

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“Those two songs garnered airplay from Headbangers Ball on MTV and active rock radio stations, including the defunct legendary Long Beach-based radio station 105.5 KNAC,” the post continued. “After that album, he left S.T. and the band would replace him with future Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.”

Though uncredited at the time, Heathcote also appeared on three tracks on the band’s fourth album, 1989’s Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Sh–… Déjà Vu.

Heathcote’s son concluded the post by writing, “Each and every moment I’ve shared with my dad will forever remain as a treat. Thank you dad for everything you did for me and my family. I will miss not only your keen sense of humor, but you and me doing a lot of things we loved doing together, including talking about or listening to music, traveling, going to the beach, going to Mexican restaurants, attending Dodger games, etc. R.I.P. Robert Monroe Heathcote[,] May 27th, 1964 – July 24th, 2022.”

As of press time, Suicidal Tendencies has yet to make an official statement on any of their social media channels. Their most recent album was 2018’s Still Cyco Punk After All These Years.

Read the loving tribute to Heathcote’s memory below.