Former Supersuckers guitarist Ron ‘Rontrose’ Heathman has died

Former Supersuckers guitarist Ron ‘Rontrose’ Heathman has died.

The news was confirmed by The Supersuckers on Facebook, who simply said: “Rest in peace, brother Ron. We’ll post more once we process this."

Heathman was part of the classic Supersuckers lineup and appeared on their first two albums: 1992’s The Smoke Of Hell and 1994’s La Mano Cornuda.

He left the band in 1995 and was replaced by Rick Sims, but returned the fold for 1997’s Must Have Been High and remained in the lineup for 1999’s The Evil Powers Of Rock’N’Roll, 2003’s Motherfuckers Be Trippin’, 2006’s Paid and Get It Together in 2008.

Following the release of Get It Together, the band went on hiatus, with Heathman replaced by Marty Chandler for their comeback album Get The Hell in 2014.

Michael Monroe guitarist Rich Jones was one of the first  to pay tribute to Heathman, saying: “Ah man, really sad to hear about the passing of Ron Heathman. We played a lot of shows with Supersuckers back in the day and Ron was always a really sweet guy and a hell of a player. RIP Rontrose.”

Photographer Harmony Gerber added: “Damn. I hate writing these posts, but this one's too close to home. A dear friend of mine, Ron Heathman from the rock band The Supersuckers has passed away. I had an endearing relationship with this band for many, many years – and still do. This truly breaks my heart.

“In my eyes, Ron was a quiet man, but when we did get a chance to chat, he was a clever, quick-witted guy. He had so much passion for playing music, and knew everything under the sun about his guitars, motorcycles... and he could brew the best damn cup of coffee on Earth. I'll miss you, buddy.”

No cause of death has yet been made public.