Respected Sydney musician Luke Liang, who was known for his work with indie-rockers Papa vs Pretty, has passed away at the age of 28.
Joining Papa vs Pretty as guitarist and keyboardist back in 2013, Luke Liang stayed with the group until their 2014 breakup. Following the group’s dissolution, Liang moved on to session work, which saw him perform music with some huge names, including Nicole Millar, Guy Sebastian, Japanese Wallpaper, Jack River, and Jarryd James just to name a few.
Sadly, former Papa vs Pretty drummer Tom Myers confirmed that Liang passed away earlier this week, sharing the tragic news on Facebook today.
“As some of you may or may not know, our dear friend Luke Liang lost his battle with depression two days ago,” Myers wrote.
“Luke officially joined Papa vs Pretty just before the writing and recording of our second album. He was intimidatingly amazing at his instrument and made our music stand out. I can still hear his playing on it today and its just as masterful.”
“After the band broke up, Luke became the absolute ‘go-to’ session guy,” Myers continued. “Quite simply, he was the best. Keys/Guitar/every other instrument, If you were lucky enough to see Luke play, you’ll understand. My heart aches for all who shared the stage with him, I’ll bet they were the best gigs you’ve ever played.”
“Luke was perhaps the most impressive man i’ve ever met. Literally anything he turned his hand to he mastered (sometimes in a matter of hours), a willing listener and an incredible mate to all of us,” he continued.
“We are all naturally devastated, but we’re much stronger if we’re together. It’s been so overwhelming to receive so many well wishes and messages of support.”
“Luke’s family is also naturally devastated and coming to terms with the loss. They have requested that sharing the news is done in a respectful manner so as to honour our memory of Luke.”
Our sincere thoughts go out to the family, friends, and musical associates of Luke Liang at this difficult time.
If you or somebody you care for needs help or information about depression, suicide, anxiety, or mental health issues, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Check out Papa vs Pretty’s ‘Smother’:
