Hawthorne Heights Guitarist Dies at 26

(andPOP) - Casey Calvert, guitarist for the band Hawthorne Heights, has passed away at 26.

At around 2:30 a.m., police were called to he band's tour bus, which was parked outside a Washington D.C. club called 9:30. The police pronounced the guitarist dead early Saturday morning, with the cause of death still unknown.

Just a day after the band had kicked off their Wintour 2007, guitarist Micah Carli, bassist Matt Ridenour, drummer Eron Bucciarelli and frontman JT Woodruff were forced to say goodbye to a dear friend.

In a heartfelt statement made by his band mates on their official website, they ask fans to cherish the memory of their "quirky and awesome" friend, and not tarnish his good name by jumping to conclusions about his death.

"We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. Please, out of respect to Casey and his family, don't contribute or succumb to any gossip you may hear. We don't want his memory to be tainted in the least. Casey was our best friend," they wrote.

"His loss is unexplainable. As soon as we know more we will let you know."