Staind’s Founding Drummer Jon Wysocki Has Died at Age 53

Founding drummer for Staind, Jon Wysocki, has passed away at the age of 53. Wysocki’s death was confirmed by his bandmates in Lydia’s Castle.

“On 5/18/2024 at 8:02pm, Jon Wysocki passed away surrounds by family and friends that loved him dearly,” the band wrote on social media. “An official statement will be developed shortly.”

Several fans, peers and bands shared their condolences across Lydia’s Castle’s social media channels.

Prior to drumming with Lydia’s Castle — and following his departure from Staind in 2011 — Wysocki played with Soil, who have also shared their condolences.

“Today we lost one of the greats,” Soil shared. “Jon Wysocki was not only a great friend, a great drummer, but a great human being. It was an honor to have him in SOiL for the time we did. We had so many laughs, so many good times. You will be missed dearly. Until we meet again dear friend.”

Upon the news of Wysocki’s death, Blabbermouth reported that he had been “having issues with his liver that required him to be under the care of medical professionals.”

Jon Wysocki Helped Form Staind in 1995

In 1995, Aaron Lewis, Mike Mushok, Johnny April and Wysocki formed Staind in Springfield, Mass. A year later, they released their independent debut album, Tormented.

Even though the album caused significant controversy due to its graphic artwork and almost cost them an opportunity to open for Limp Bizkit, once Fred Durst saw them perform live, he helped sign them to Flip Records.

Wysocki performed with Staind through the recording of their seventh, self-titled studio album. A few days before announcing details about Staind, though, he left the band.

Staind would be the band’s last album until 2023’s Confessions of the Fallen, which features Sal Giancarelli on drums. Giancarelli was Staind’s drum tech beginning in 1999; when Wysocki left, Giancarelli stepped in for their live performances and eventually sat in the studio with the band for Confessions.

What Made Jon Wysocki Stand Out as a Drummer

In the August 2001 issue of DRUM! magazine, Wysocki opened up about his drumming style.

“I’m sure there are people who could smoke my ass and could be doing what I’m doing,” he told journalist Jared Cobb in the magazine’s cover story. “But it’s not a one-man show.”

Explaining what he meant by that, Wysocki admitted that he liked to work as a team player.

“Rather than overplay and try to outdo other members of the band, I try to work for the song … It’s not a competition. You need to be a team player. Really, that’s what it is. It’s a package deal. And you have to work as a team. You have to be on the same page and want to do the same things.”

READ MORE: Mike Mushok Discusses Staind’s Evolution Over the Years

The package deal of Wysocki, April, Mushok and Lewis led Staind to becoming one of the most successful bands to come out of the post-grunge, nu-metal movement of the late-’90s and early-’00s, thanks to the aggression of their second album, Dysfunction, and the massive commercial success of its follow-up, Break the Cycle.

Staind have not yet released a statement on Wysocki’s death. This story will be updated as more news comes out surrounding this tragic loss.