Neal Langford, former bassist of The Shins, has died at the age of 50.
According to a report from local NBC affiliate WITN-TV, Langford was found dead near a private dock in Bath, North Carolina on July 21st. His cause of death wasn’t immediately known, but Beaufort County deputies said they did not suspect foul play.
The Shins mastermind James Mercer paid tribute to Langford on Thursday, July 27th with an Instagram post. “Just want to let you guys know one of the best friends I’ve ever had has passed,” he wrote. “He was in several bands with me including the Shins. A very important figure in my life you could say. I mean this is the guy who talked me into getting over my shyness and up on the stage. He put me in front of the microphone!”
Mercer continued by praising Langford for putting him on to Dinosaur Jr., the Cocteau Twins, Interview Magazine, and “countless other piles of cool stuff.” He concluded the note by writing, “I owe him a lot. Neal Langford you were always loved and you always will be.” Check out the full post below.
The Shins were originally founded as a side project to Mercer and Langford’s band Flake Music, which released their lone album, When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return, in 1997. Langford was not a founding member of The Shins, but played on their acclaimed debut album, 2001’s Oh, Inverted World.
In recent years, Langford had become an avid hot air balloonist and founded the company IBX Balloon Flights. In his final Instagram post, Langford revealed he had recently completed a program at an alcohol and drug abuse treatment center in North Carolina.
