Gerard Smith, TV on The Radio Bassist, 34, Dies of Lung Cancer

It has been confirmed by TV on the Radio via the band’s website that bassist Gerard Smith died of lung cancer earlier today at age 34.

“We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly,” reads the group’s site. The band has canceled immediate tour dates and will be updating about future tour dates as things unfold.

The band had just wrapped their latest album ‘Nine Types of Light‘ when they announced Smith’s cancer, stating that he would not be able to participate in their tour supporting the album, as he was “undergoing treatment.” They also stated that Gerard was “fortunate enough to have health insurance and is receiving excellent medical care. Already we have seen dramatic results. Combine that with Gerard’s legendarily willful disposition and it might just be cancer that has the problem. We appreciate your concern and support for Gerard and his family.”

Today also marks the death of Tim Hetherington, an award-winning photo journalist and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker, who died in the field reporting from Libya. He was best known for his reporting of the warfare in Afghanistan. A very sad day indeed.

See TV on the Radio’s video for their early hit ‘Wolf Like Me’:

What is your favorite TV on the Radio song? What song would you dedicate to Gerard and the band? If you have any nice memories of a song moment from TV on the Radio or a show of theirs, you can share them in teh comments.