Sib Hashian, former Boston drummer, has died at the age of 67, collapsing on stage midset while performing on the Legends of Rock Cruise, according to Hashian’s son Adam via TMZ. A witness is reported as saying CPR was performed as well as a defibrillator used, both unsuccessfully. The cruise had begun on March 18th in Florida and had stops in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. While Hashian made appearances drumming for Sammy Hagar on his 2003 album ‘Live: Hallelujah’ and on Barry Goudreau’s 1980 self-titled album of which the hit ‘Dreams’ came off, he is best known for his work with Boston (along with his wicked afro at the time).
He was with the iconic and influential classic rock band for their 1976 self-titled debut and their follow-up album, 1978’s ‘Don’t Look Back’. The debut album is known as a game-changer in the industry, creating a “reference point for production values and studio technology”, and is perhaps best known for the first track ‘More Than A Feeling’ which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to be a classic rock radio mainstay – as well as tracks such as ‘Foreplay/Long Time’ and ‘Peace of Mind’. ‘Boston’, went platinum three months after it’s release and is the second best selling album of all time in the United States just trailing after Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite For Destruction’, with over 17 million copies sold. Boston’s sophomore album, ‘Don’t Look Back’, produced one of the band’s biggest hits with the title track, and sold four million copies in the first month of release alone. Sib Hashian leaves behind his son Adam, and two daughters, Aja and Lauren, the latter of whom has a child with actor/wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. There’s talk of planned tributes for Hashian on the Legends of Rock Cruise by the other musicians on the ship later this week. Reminisce on the greatness of Boston below with spaceship-vision inducing tracks ‘More Than A Feeling’ and ‘Feelin’ Satisfied’.
Sarah Medeiros