My friend GABBA (punk guitarist): a sad story...
A POST I DIDN'T WANT TO WRITE!
Following my recent heart surgery and about 10 minutes before I was due to leave hospital (a day or 2 early due to my excellent recovery progress), I found out that my good friend (and punk guitar buddy from Nottingham) GABBA (Robert Isaac Gregory) had died in hospital of heart problems! I broke and shortly afterwards, as my wife Michele and her mum walked into my room to collect me, I couldn't speak (due to my uncontrollable sobbing). I pulled myself together and shared the news with them. When I mentioned his name, I broke again. I suppose dealing with my own mortality that last couple of weeks then seeing my good friend lose his just became too much!
GABBA had had heart problems recently partly due to worry over paying for his mums funeral and clearing her rent/gas/electric bills and the stress had caused (or exasperated) heart problems. He collapsed graveside at his mums funeral and was rushed into hospital. They found a clot close to his heart and had him monitored and on blood thinners. Anyway it all go too much for him and he died Sunday morning the same time I was being released a day early. I loved that boy: I will never forget him! He was younger than me btw so 59. Such a waste...
PS: I will never forgive the council for threatening him with eviction at such a stressful time for him. The home he grew up in with his recently deceased mother. They had no other family. Gabba is the end of the Gregory line and he had no children!!!
My friend GABBA (CHAOS UK / F-UK guitarist)...
First pic is: me and Gabba (1984). My band Concrete Sox at The Foresters Hotel, Nottingham...
Following my recent heart surgery and about 10 minutes before I was due to leave hospital (a day or 2 early due to my excellent recovery progress), I found out that my good friend (and punk guitar buddy from Nottingham) GABBA (Robert Isaac Gregory) had died in hospital of heart problems! I broke and shortly afterwards, as my wife Michele and her mum walked into my room to collect me, I couldn't speak (due to my uncontrollable sobbing). I pulled myself together and shared the news with them. When I mentioned his name, I broke again. I suppose dealing with my own mortality that last couple of weeks then seeing my good friend lose his just became too much!
GABBA had had heart problems recently partly due to worry over paying for his mums funeral and clearing her rent/gas/electric bills and the stress had caused (or exasperated) heart problems. He collapsed graveside at his mums funeral and was rushed into hospital. They found a clot close to his heart and had him monitored and on blood thinners. Anyway it all go too much for him and he died Sunday morning the same time I was being released a day early. I loved that boy: I will never forget him! He was younger than me btw so 59. Such a waste...
PS: I will never forgive the council for threatening him with eviction at such a stressful time for him. The home he grew up in with his recently deceased mother. They had no other family. Gabba is the end of the Gregory line and he had no children!!!
My friend GABBA (CHAOS UK / F-UK guitarist)...
First pic is: me and Gabba (1984). My band Concrete Sox at The Foresters Hotel, Nottingham...