Bryan St. Pere, the drummer for influential Illinois alternative rock band Hum, has died aged 52.

St. Pere’s death was confirmed by band members Matt Talbott, Tim Lash and Jeff Dimpsey on social media, describing it as “sudden and unexpected”.

“Bryan was a dear friend, a loving father, brother, and was an incredible person and musician. We all feel extremely lucky to have shared time and space with him. Peace and love to all who knew Bryan, and those he touched. We will miss him dearly.”

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St. Pere was interested in the drums from a young age, playing in rock bands from as early as the seventh grade. During an interview with The Trap Set podcast, he said he was deeply inspired by Rush’s Neil Peart, to the extent he would purchase Pert Plus shampoo.

“It’s like the only band I listened to for two years, maybe three years. Like, eighth grade, sophomore year of high school, it was all Rush,” he told podcast host Joe Wong.

When asked he ever saw them live, St. Pere replied “yeah, like six times”.

St. Pere joined Hum in 1990, a year after the band formed. He reportedly was invited to join the lineup after the rest of the band heard him performing the drum parts of Rush songs as they passed by his window.

He performed on all five of the band’s albums, including their most well-known track “Stars” from 1995’s You’d Prefer An Astronaut. Though St. Pere sat out for Hum’s reunion tour in 2015, he performed on their surprise 2020 album, Inlet, their first record in over two decades.

St. Pere’s drumming style has been described as a blend of heavy hardcore rhythms and the spaced-out shoegaze that flowed throughout Hum’s catalogue.

“We’re kind of an uptight band. We don’t go into the studio to drink beers, and record rock and then leave,” St. Pere said of the band during an interview with Crash Bang Boom Drumming last year.

“We’re a little bit meticulous, and me, I tend to overthink things.”