Original No Doubt Member Dies in Motorcycle Crash, Was 57

It’s a sad day for fans of ska-dance outfit No Doubt. According to reports, Gabriel ‘The Gun’ Gonzalez has passed away at the age of 57. He was the original trumpet player for No Doubt, and is also well-known and loved for his contributions to the California bands The Untouchables and Save Ferris.

The announcement comes from a family representative who confirmed the death of Gonzalez to SPIN Magazine. According to the rep, Gonzalez passed away on September 12 in a motorcycle accident near Hermosa Beach, California. Further details on his death have not been released to the public.

It’s a heartbreaking and unexpected death, especially because Gonzalez had been giving interviews just a few months earlier. Back in January, he spoke to SPIN about the death of his fellow No Doubt bandmate John Spense, as well as the origins of the band itself.

“We all kind of knew that we were creating something different, and being in the mod-ska scene in the early mid-’80s was a pretty spectacular thing,” Gonzalez had said fondly of No Doubt.

Remembering Gabriel ‘The Gun’ Gonzalez: A Ska Legacy Beyond No Doubt

Gabriel ‘The Gun’ Gonzalez was born on July 11, 1967 and was a first-generation Cuban American. He began his musical career playing the trumpet in his high school band. There, he met Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric Stefani. He would soon join the now-legendary ska punk band No Doubt. After he played with No Doubt throughout the 1980s, he went on to attend Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusets.

In addition to his work with No Doubt, The Untouchables, and Save Ferris, Gonzalez also performed with The Skeletones and Kingston A Go Go. He is considered one of the most recognizable trumpet players of the ska punk movement in the 1980s and 1990s.

Gonzalez is a co-writer on several of No Doubt’s hit songs, including “Paulina” and “Total Hate ‘95”. He also allegedly helped compose and write quite a few of No Doubt’s earlier works, many of which have not been officially released.

Gonzalez is survived by three children. We wish his family, friends, fans, and loved ones nothing but the best during this difficult time.

Photo via Gabriel Gonzalez’s facebook page

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