It’s a sad day for members of the Melbourne music community, with Fan Girl announcing that founding member and “spiritual wunderkind” Jack Wood has recently passed away at the age of 24.

Melbourne’s Fan Girl have been on the scene for a couple of years now, and have supported a number of huge names, including the likes of Catfish & The Bottlemen, Minus The Bear, and Birds Of Tokyo.

With the group having recently released their debut album, Elephant Room, back in March, the final show of their supporting tour sadly had to be cancelled recently due to undisclosed circumstances. Now, the group have taken to Facebook to make a heartfelt statement in regards to the tragic news

“Two weeks ago, our beloved Jack Wood passed away,” the band began. “A brilliant creative mind. A driven, dedicated and inspired force. A caring and understanding man. A best friend.”

“Jack was (and will forever be) the heart and soul of this band, but more importantly, he was so incredibly vital to our lives in general. We can’t put in to words how much we love him, and how lucky we were to have experienced life with him. Those who had the privilege of knowing him on any level would know just how charismatic and special he really was.

As The Music reports, Wood was also heavily involved in the Taste Police HQ studio, located in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.

“He was vital to the creative pursuits of many, and often the source of inspiration for friends’ writing,” the group noted. “He was fiercely dedicated and focused, and the most encouraging and supportive person we will ever know.”

“We will be taking some time off. Thank you for all the tremendous support and love over the last two years, it has been nothing short of amazing,” they continued.

“Please take care of each other, and please tell your loved ones how much they mean to you.”

Our thoughts go out to the members of Fan Girl and the family of Jack Wood at this difficult time.

Check out Fan Girl’s ‘Small Town’:

The article was originally published on Tone Deaf