Scott McCaughey, leader of the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5, and who spent 17 years as a touring guitarist and multi-instrumentalist for R.E.M., suffered a stroke while on a tour of the West Coast with Alejandro Escovedo, his wife announced today.
In a note posted today on the Minus 5’s Facebook page, McCaughey’s wife, Mary Winzig, reports the musician is in stable condition following the medical emergency, but that “the road to recovery will be a long one, and we believe it will come through music.”
In that same statement, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, who also is touring with Escovedo and has played in a variety of groups with McCaughey including the Minus 5 and the Baseball Project, hailed his friend and bandmate since the Monster era: “Scott McCaughey is one of the unsung heroes of rock ‘n’ roll,” Buck wrote. “A true believer and one of the most creative people I have ever met.”
In his own statement, Escovedo said he’s postponing the remainder of the tour “but will return as soon as Scott is able.” He added: “I’ve met a lot of people in this business (over 40 years) and Scott is truly one of the finest. Please send all of your positive energy towards Scott and his family.”
Read the statements from Winzig and Escovedo, and tweets from well-wishers, below.
A truly warm & kind fellow, friend of Game Theory & one of the first people we bonded with on tour in ’84, the wonderful @ScottMcCaughey5 has suffered a stroke on tour with Alejandro Escovedo @aescovedo1. We wish Scott a strong recovery, our thoughts are & will continue to be you
— Game Theory (@gametheoryband) November 17, 2017
Some of the greatest musical and non-musical moments of my life have been spent with @ScottMcCaughey5. Send him as much positive mojo as you can muster. pic.twitter.com/ML1WktLH1U
— Jon Wurster (@jonwurster) November 17, 2017
Please wish a wish tonight for a full recovery for @ScottMcCaughey5 , one of the kindest, warmest, good souls 🙏🏼
— Tanya Donelly (@TanyaDonelly) November 18, 2017
hey universe: do NOT fuck with Scott McCaughey
— colin meloy (@colinmeloy) November 17, 2017
All my love to @ScottMcCaughey5 for a speedy recovery.
— Corin Tucker (@corintuckerband) November 17, 2017
Everybody please do send a huge get well soon to the wonderful @ScottMcCaughey5, not just a brilliant musician and a long-time pillar of the NW indie scene, but just the loveliest, funniest guy.#YoungFreshFellows #Minus5 #FilthyFriendshttps://t.co/5DCWDsaSJx
— Michael Azerrad (@michaelazerrad) November 17, 2017
Holy shit. I live in Seattle and have seen YFF I don’t know how many times. One of my top 5 bands of all time. holy shit. this hits hard.
I know exactly what you mean. I used to talk to him at Easy Street in West Seattle a lot. He’s such a fixture in the scene. Literally the glue that holds it together.