Thomas Fekete

Thomas Fekete, a guitarist and a founding member of the alternative rock band Surfer Blood, died May 30, according to multiple news sources. He was 27.

“Our sweet Thomas passed on last night, peacefully in his sleep, holding my hand,” his wife, Jessica, wrote on a GoFundMe page Tuesday. The page had accumulated nearly $70,000 in contributions to help defray medical costs related to his treatment for cancer.

“With one last sigh, he let go of the burden of pain and suffering that he has been bravely carrying for so long. I am full of comfort knowing that he is now free, and long for the day I get to be with him again,” Jessica Fekete wrote. “May we all carry on Thomas' legacy by being the very best versions of ourselves for the rest of our days, and do as much as we can to help others in his honor. If we can strive to be half the person Thomas was, this world will be a better place.”

His wife said she plans to celebrate her husband’s life the first weekend in July in south Florida. The band, which formed as Jabroni Sandwich during the 2000s before changing the name to Surfer Blood, originated from West Palm Beach.

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The band’s debut single “Swim” was released to critical acclaim, with the Pitchfork ranking the track as the 37th best on the online music magazine’s list of the 100 best songs of 2009. Surfer Blood released three studio albums, “Astro Coast,” “Pythons,” and “1,000 Palms,” and an EP, “Tarot Classics.” Fekete played an all four of the albums. He left the band in 2015, however, after he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer that had spread to his lungs and spine.