An original member of hit rock band Third Eye Blind has passed away. Jason Slater, who was the bassist for Third Eye Blind when the band first formed back in the early '90s, has died due to liver failure. The musician was just 49-years-old at the time of his death.
Jason Slater died from liver failure at a hospital in Maui, according to Slater's daughter, Alyssa Carlson, via TMZ. Carlson stated that Slater kept his liver failure a secret, and she only found out in November, and only then when she received a call that her father had been hospitalized.
The late Jason Slater contributed bass and backup vocals for Third Eye Blind when the band first formed back in 1993, and he remained part of the group through to 1994 after recording the band's first demo. He left Third Eye Blind before the band broke out in the music business with "How's It Going to Be" and "Semi-Charmed Life" in 1997 but was part of the band getting its start.
Following his departure from Third Eye Blind, Jason Slater moved on in the music biz as the bassist, songwriter, and producer for bands including Snake River Conspiracy and Brougham. As for his legacy as an original member of Third Eye Blind, TMZ reports that a representative for the band stated that despite not speaking to Slater since 1996, "when a spirited member of the music scene is taken too soon it is always a sad time."
Although Jason Slater left Third Eye Blind behind and evidently didn't speak to them since 1996, he didn't shy away from his legacy as one of the people who started the group. Back in November 2008, he shared a video of the group's first recording session. Take a look:
For Third Eye Blind fans who notice that the lineup in the video is very different from when the band made it big in 1997, including vocalist/guitarist Kevin Cadogan and bassist Arion Salazar, Jason Slater explained how early in the process the footage was filmed in the comments:
I didnt know Kevin or Arion, this video was shot atleast 4 years before we met either of them.We recorded Caroline and a song called Hold Me Down at this session.The misconception of the early years of 3EB is that it was a 'band' in the early years.The first 3 years it was just Stephen and I writing songs and recording demos.
Although Third Eye Blind was officially formed in 1993 and released their first full album in 1997, Jason Slater was evidently working on music with vocalist/guitarist Stephan Jenkins even earlier. Slater had a long career in music, and is responsible for helping launch what would become an incredibly successful band.
Our thoughts here at CinemaBlend are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Jason Slater in this difficult time.
