Tony Sly of No Use for a Name has died at 41

Tony Sly, the frontman for SoCal punk band No Use for a Name, has died, according to an announcement released by his label, Fat Wreck Chords, today. The statement did not indicate the cause of the 41-year-old musician's death. It did, however, include a quote from Fat Wreck Chords founder and NOFX singer Fat Mike: “One of my dearest friends and favorite song writers has gone way too soon. Tony, you will be greatly missed.”

No Use for a Name bassist Matt Riddle posted a message on the band's Facebook page that reads, in part, "i'm not sure of all the details yet, and i don't think that's really important. what's important is i lost a great friend and you lost a great songwriter. i've been playing with him for 15 years? 16? i haven't processed it yet. i've been on the phone all day with friends and family. i'm not looking forward to it sinking in. i'm worried sick for his wife and kids. i knew tony very well and he would definitely want to thank you for all the love and support for both no use and his solo career."

In 1989, Sly joined NUFAN, which had formed in San Jose in 1987, replacing singer John Meyer. No Use for a Name was one of the original Warped Tour artists, in 1995, and it returned to the tour three more times after that. The group had an ever-changing line-up through the years, and by the time of its ninth and ultimately final album, 2008's The Feel Good Record of the Year, it no longer featured anyone from its initial incarnation.

In recent years, Sly had embarked on a side career as an acoustic-guitar-toting folk-punk singer-songwriter, both solo and in collaboration with Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape.