Australian band Polaris' guitarist Ryan Siew has died aged 26.
Musician Ryan's cause of death have not been disclosed but the musician complained of 'brain fog' and revealed he'd suffered 'health scares' in the months leading up to his death.
Tributes have poured in online for Ryan, who is believed to have died on June 19, with his bandmates leading the way.
His band’s remaining members, Jamie Hails, Rick Schneider, Jake Steinhauser, and Daniel Furnari, wrote a statement on the group's Instagram page.
It read: "It is with shattered hearts [and] the deepest sorrow that we tell you our dear brother and bandmate Ryan Siew passed away on the morning of Monday June 19. He was 26 years old, and for 10 incredible years he was our best friend and artistic soulmate."
The statement added: "He was kindhearted and clever, he was funny and brave and creative, and he was talented beyond all measure. He loved art, and beauty in all its forms.
"He loved great food in great company. He loved Harry Potter and psych-thrillers and crime documentaries. He loved music, more diversely than you could ever imagine, and spoke its language in ways that only the rarest among us do. And most of all, he loved & adored his family & friends. He was also much admired and beloved by so many. Ryan, we will love and miss you for the rest of our days, and we will never fill the hole that you leave in all of our lives."
The band's statement continued: "Our hearts are with his family first and foremost, but also with all those whose lives he touched. We ask that you please respect the wishes of Ryan’s family for privacy at this time, and likewise that you give us, our team and family the space to grieve & attempt to heal from this immeasurable loss. We know that you will be grieving with us and that we, and our community, will hold each other through this."
Fans commented to pay tribute to Ryan as one wrote: "RIP legend".
Another added: "This is just heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to you guys," followed by a broken heart emoji.
"Rest in peace to an absolute legend [black heart emoji] thank you for the amazing music you left us with", a third penned.
"Ryan was such a kind soul, and talented well beyond his years. My heart goes out to you all, sending you love," another added.
A few months before his death, Ryan uploaded a photo of himself in hospital.
As he shared the photo in January, he admitted he had been living with "constant brain fog".
He wrote to his fans: "I’m happy to say I’m no longer on any anti-depressants, no longer living with the constant brain fog and lethargy."
He added in the post: "Although I’ve also had a few health scares that have been quite sobering. Between all of that, I think I’m back on track to be the best version of myself. I’m learning new things, growing and I’m most importantly recovering.
"I’m sorry for being silent, leaving a lot of you in the dark, hurting those who love me the most in the process of all this chaos, but grateful for the patience and support I’ve received."
Polaris released their debut album, The Mortal Coil, in 2017 before going on to release their second album, The Death of Me, in 2020.
