Leonard Hubbard, longtime bassist of famous hip hop band the Roots, breathed his last at the age of 62.
The Philadelphia-based group released a statement saying “it’s with the heaviest of hearts that we say goodbye to our brother Leonard nelson Hubbard”.
“May your transition bring peace to your family, to your friends, to your fans, and all of those who loved you,” it said, adding: “Rest in Melody Hub.”
Hubbard was known by his fans as “hub” and had been fighting blood cancer for years.
His wife Stephanie Hubbard stated that “his death was related to a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2007. The musician had been in remission until last month.”
According to Philadelphia’s ABC 6, “Stephanie Hubbard said she had taken her husband to the Lankenau Medical Center, a hospital in Wynnewood, west of Philadelphia, on Wednesday night after he was suddenly unable to move despite being energetic the day before.”
“I was called to the hospital. They told me what had happened, that he had passed. I went to the hospital and was able to sit with him,” she said.
Hubbard recorded 7 albums with The Roots but left the group in 2007 after the diagnosis of blood cancer.
He, later on, filed a lawsuit against a few members of The Roots in which he allegedly accused them of not paying him adequately despite “signing a contract that he was the co-owner of the band.” The legal battle is still ongoing.
Stephanie Hubbard stated “He wanted to be known for the type of music he was composing,” she said. “And before he died, he was sitting there at night listening to the music, and he was so happy with it.”
The Roots also lost another lethal member of the group in July 2020, Malik Abdul Basit.
Malik Abdul Basit was known as Malik B and died at the age of 47. The Roots released an official statement saying “the world has lost one of the most gifted MCs of all time.”
