Absolutely horrible news to report. Hall and Oates long-time bass player Tom T-Bone Wolk died of a heart attack on Saturday. Wolk, who also played with Billy Joel and Elvis Costello, was to have performed with Hall and Oates today as part of the one-year anniversary show for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. T-Bone played bass on Kurtis Blows early rap classic These Are the Breaks and between 1986 and 1992, served as the bassist for the Saturday Night Live house band. I was fortunate to see Wolk perform with Hall and Oates on March 8, 2008 at the Fillmore in New York City, and I was taken with his smooth licks and showmanship (read the full review here). Hall and Oates just released a statement about their friend. A moment of silence, please.

image by Darren Ressler

Daryl Hall:

To say that I am shocked is the ultimate understatement. T-Bone was my musical brother and losing him is like losing my right hand. Its not if I will go on, but how. T-Bone was one of the most sensitive and good human beings that I have ever known. And, I can truly say that I loved him.

John Oates:

His character was pure and his unique and quirky personality touched everyone he encountered. His musical sensibility was peerless, any instrument that he touched resonated with a sensitivity and skill level that I have never experienced while playing with any other musician. He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of styles and musical history which he referenced to support all the artists that he played with over the years. He became our bands musical director over time leading by example and by the deference and respect that everyone who played alongside him so rightfully accorded him. He made everyone he played with better. So many times when Im working on a musical passage or part, I think to myself: How would T-Bone play this and aspire to his level every time I perform. To this day I always keep one of his I Love Vermont guitar picks with me where ever I go and know in my heart that starting today the Heavenly Band just got one of the greatest multi-instrumentalist of all time and that band will from this day forward sound better than they ever have before.