Chet “JR” White, bassist of Girls, dies age 40

Chet JR White

The musician and producer has died.

True Panther confirmed the musician passed away on Sunday (18 October). His cause of death is not known, and the label said there will be “no further details at his time”.

Dean Bein, founder of True Panther, wrote, “Rest In Peace JR. It feels unreal to write these words. You changed my life, I’m eternally in your debt. When I asked to release a Girls 7″ you would only do it if I committed to making True Panther the best in the world, and went on the radio the next day and said as much. You recruited people into your army and empowered, and (sometimes bullied) us to fulfill our purpose. So many of us owe you that. True Panther wouldn’t exist without you. My life would be fundamentally different without you. Thank you a million times over.”

“The Chef. Iron Man. Fantasy Trashcan!! 10 years on and I’m trying to catch the memories bursting out like drinking out of a fire hose.”

Our good friend Chet “JR” White passed away on Sunday in his family’s home in Santa Cruz. He was 40. His heart stopped….

Posted by True Panther Sounds on Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Band member Christopher Owens tweeted: “I hope you feel nothing but peace now my brother. I love you, and thank you for believing in me, and for what you brought to the table. Always and Forever, and I’ll always be proud of you… I’ll always remember you protecting Liza, Patrick, myself and Beta from the jerks.”

White was born in Santa Cruz, California, in 1982. After moving to San Francisco, White and Owens met and formed Girls in 2007. The group released two albums – Album (2009) and Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011). Girls later disbanded in 2012, and White went on to collaborate with Tobias Jesso Jr., Cass McCombs, Glitz and Spectrals.

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