Jeffrey Foskett died at the age of 67. He performed alongside the Beach Boys

His Beach Boys teammates called him “vice director” of the band, and he gained the status of a peacemaker among the sometimes feuding groups around the band. Although the Beach Boys went through a number of changes over the years, Foskett was liked by everyone. The musician died at the age of 67 from a rare form of anaplastic thyroid cancer. Brian Wilson, one of the band’s founders and a great friend, was the first to say goodbye to him on social media. You will find more interesting texts on the home page.

“I am devastated that my dear friend Jeff Foskett has passed away. Jeff was always there for me when we toured. We couldn’t have done it without him. Jeff was one of the most talented guys I knew. He was a great leader and guitarist, and he sing like an angel. Love and mercy to Jeff’s family and friends, we will remember him forever.” – wrote Brian Wilson in a post published in Foskett’s memory.

Meeting Brian Wilson changed his life. He joined the group a few years later

Jeffret Foskett was born on February 17, 1956 in San Jose, California, and from an early age he was fascinated by music. Already 20 years later, as a fan of the already recognized Beach Boys, he met Wilson. Even though getting to know them wasn’t particularly binding, they both knew then that they wanted to play on “one team”. The bandleader himself recalled years later that “they hung around his music studio at home in Bel-Air and he wanted to keep in touch.” Their friendship lasted until the end of Foskett’s days.

However, he officially joined the group in 1980 at the invitation of another leader, Mike Love. Jeff was performing with the Endless Summer Beach Band in Santa Barbara at the time. He immediately asked him to play with the band and introduced him to the rest of the group: Al Jardine, Bruce Johnstone, Dennis Wilson, the brother of the aforementioned Brian. The latter occasionally performed alongside the Beach Boys. Foskett performed with them until 1990, and then devoted himself to his solo career.

However, his musical paths crossed again with Brian Wilson 8 years later on his album “Imagination”. Moments after her debut, he became its musical director. Although the history of the Beach Boys was turbulent, during the band’s 50th anniversary in 2012 he was present on stage among the feuding musicians. Foskett had a good relationship with all of them, and his empathy and understanding helped facilitate reconciliation not only on their return to the stage, but also on the recording of the album “That’s Why God Made the Radio” in the same year.

In one row with the biggest stars. Like a baseball star

But Jeff Foskett had as a friend not only Wilson, but also the biggest names in the music industry. He collaborated with such rock icons as, among others: Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton. He considered himself lucky and compared himself to a baseball player who had the opportunity to play in the major league. Foskett’s musical career was interrupted in 2019, when he was forced to undergo therapy due to the diagnosis of anaplastic thyroid cancer. He never returned to playing, and the last years of his life were marked by a fight against a cruel disease.