#David Fitzgerald, Original Guitarist of the Telescopes, Dead at 54

David Fitzgerald, the first guitarist of the UK shoegaze band the Telescopes, has died of cancer, Al Boyd of Wrong Way Records confirmed to Pitchfork. He was 54 years old.

Stephen Lawrie founded the Telescopes in Burton-upon-Trent, England in 1986. David Fitzgerald began as the band’s bassist before switching to guitar. He played on the Telescopes first two albums—1989’s Taste and 1992’s The Telescopes— before the band’s initial dissolution.

In recent years, David Fitzgerald performed with his band the Junkyard Liberty. They released their debut Chains in 2016 (via Wrong Way). With the Junkyard Liberty, Fitzgerald released a cover the Telescopes’ 1989 B-side “This Is the Last of Whats Coming Now.” The Telescopes shared the cover in tribute to Fitzgerald. “Infinite love,” they wrote.