True Panther Sounds' founder Dean Bein pays tribute to the late musician in a Facebook post confirming his passing, writing, 'You changed my life, I'm eternally in your debt.'
- Oct 22, 2020
AceShowbiz - Music industry is losing another of its talented artists. Chet "JR" White, who was a member of the indie rock band Girls until their disbandment in 2012, has passed away at 40 years old. He died on Sunday, October 18 at his family's Santa Cruz, California, home.
True Panther Sounds, the record label which released Girls' music, confirmed the sad news in a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 21. The label's founder Dean Bein wrote, "Our good friend Chet 'JR' White passed away on Sunday in his family's home in Santa Cruz. He was 40. His heart stopped. No further details at this time."
"Rest In Peace JR," he continued, paying tribute to the late musician, whom he dubbed "The Chef. Iron Man. Fantasy Trashcan." "It feels unreal to write these words. You changed my life, I'm eternally in your debt."
Dean recalled his time working with Chet, "When I asked to release a Girls 7' you would only do it if I committed to making True Panther the best in the world, and went on the radio the next day and said as much. You recruited people into your army and empowered, and (sometimes bullied) us to fulfill our purpose. So many of us owe you that. True Panther wouldn't exist without you. My life would be fundamentally different without you. Thank you a million times over."
"10 years on and I'm trying to catch the memories bursting out like drinking out of a fire hose," he went on sharing, "So many of them imbued with an air of mischief and chaos, of trying to figure out this weird new life on the fly. You made it difficult to be your friend quite often, but also easy to come back."
Dean also praised Chet's musicality, writing, "I can't count all of the conversations I've had with people that recount with a kind of shellshocked realness the feeling of being sucked into this Girls world, or your world; a bad kids army, feeling like it's the only place to be, but you probably shouldn't stay long."
"The songs make the albums, but the production allows people to receive it and how you made that music sing!!!" he added. "The gauzy buzz, the ocean of reverb, the restraint and then explosion, a sound that wrapped you in its arms but wasn't shy about its wounds. Your heart stopped, a big big sensitive but conflicted heart."
He concluded the lengthy post, "Will miss you JR, I'll miss you. Thank you for everything."
Christopher Owens, Chet's bandmate on Girls, has also reacted to the devastating news. "I hope you feel nothing but peace now my brother," he wrote on Twitter along with a broken heart emoji. "I love you, and thank you for believing in me, and for what you brought to the table. Always and Forever, and I'll always be proud of you... I'll always remember you protecting Liza, Patrick, myself and Beta from the jerks."
Chet met Christopher while attending the California Recording Institute in San Francisco. They formed the band Girls in 2007 and released the band's first album under True Panther Sounds in 2009 to widely positive responses from critics. Following their disbandment in 2012 due to personal reasons within the band, Chet recorded and produced for an album by DIIV, but the session was ultimately scrapped.
