Connor Verner-Oakley, the guitarist for Brisbane post-hardcore band Awaken I Am, has passed away in a “tragic accident”.
His bandmates confirmed the news on social media writing, “Our heart is broken, we have lost our beautiful brother Connor in a tragic accident.”
“Connor was family, our little brother and an irreplaceable part of what makes us a band. It’s hard to explain the bond between band members, we spent so much time together making music, playing shows, experiencing new cultures and most importantly laughing.”
The band also said that they will continue in honour of Verner-Oakley.
“As broken as we feel, to not continue is not an option,” they wrote.
“Music was Connor’s dream, we shared that dream with him and we hope to make him proud by keeping that dream alive.”
They released their latest track ‘Dissolution’ just last month. It was the last track the band recorded together and they wrote, “he was so proud of it.”
The band was on tour in Australia with US band SECRETS. They are also due to tour at the end of the month with Escape The Fate. They have not made any announcements about those shows.
Read the band’s full tribute to Verner-Oakley below.
