R.I.P. Bob Bryar, former My Chemical Romance drummer

Bob Bryar has died. As the former drummer for My Chemical Romance through one of the most influential portions of its career—including recording, touring, and writing on the album that pushed the band from “successful” to “international superstars,” The Black Parade—Bryar served in the group from 2004 until departing in 2010. His death was reported by TMZ, which stated that his body was found in his Tennessee home by authorities on Tuesday, after Bryar was last seen alive on November 4. Bryar was 44.

Originally a tour manager and sound engineer, Bryar befriended the members of My Chemical Romance in the early 2000s, and, when the group parted ways with Matt Pelissier shortly after the release of 2004’s Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, signed on as the band’s new drummer. While his tenure with the band technically included only a single studio album, Bryar was also prominent in music videos and other projects, including the double-platinum live video/music album Life On The Murder Scene. He came to greatest prominence with the recording of Black Parade, although injuries from a video shoot, and then from worsening wrist issues, caused the band to cancel several shows in support of the massively successful rock opera.

In 2010, in the lead-up to the release of Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, My Chemical Romance announced that it had “parted ways” with Bryar. (Although he remained credited as a writer on several songs on the album, Bryar later wrote on social media that he had been “kicked out” of the group.) In subsequent years, Bryar worked for a time as a producer, before leaving music altogether, reportedly working as a real estate agent, and donating time, energy, and money to animal rescue charities. Reading through his social media from that era through to the present day (much of which has been deleted, but archived), Bryar sounds deeply unhappy, including multiple instances in which he talked about suicidal ideation. Earlier this month, when the remaining members of My Chemical Romance (which broke up in 2013, but reunited in 2020) announced that they’d be touring in a series of shows where they’d be performing The Black Parade in its entirety, it was made clear that Bryar wouldn’t be performing with the group.