Bands, friends mourn Nick Alexander, victim of Paris attacks
Kevin Bronson on
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Friends, family and musicians who employed Nick Alexander were in mourning after 36-year-old was among the casualties in the terror attack Friday night at Le Bataclan in Paris. The U.K.-based Alexander was working as merchandise manager at the Eagles of Death Metal show where more than 100 were killed by gunmen.
Los Angeles musician Gus Seyffert, who toured Europe with the Black Keys, remembered Alexander as “a really sweet guy,” and Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder, who met Alexander on the band’s 2013 “Oceania” tour, fondly recalled him as “a really cool guy who wore a black leather jacket every day even if it was the middle of the summer.” Alexander had also worked for artists such as Sum 41, Cat Stevens, Alice in Chains, Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy, Rolling Stone reported in compiling some of their remembrances.
Thomas Ayad, a Mercury Records executive, was also a victim at Le Bataclan, as was music journalist Guillaume Decherf. Buzzfeed is compiling a complete list of victims of the Paris attacks.
Alexander’s family issued the following statement: “It is with huge sorrow that we can confirm that our beloved Nick lost his life at the Bataclan last night. Nick was not just our brother, son and uncle, he was everyone’s best friend — generous, funny and fiercely loyal. Nick died doing the job he loved and we take great comfort in knowing how much he was cherished by his friends around the world. Thank you for your thoughts and respect for our family at this difficult time. Peace and light.” A GoFundMe campaign was launched as a memorial for Alexander’s family; because of the outpouring of support, it will now be extended to benefit the families of other victims as well.
Kristin Lee, a Los Angeles-based manager for Le Butcherettes, who were scheduled to perform in Paris on Saturday night, reported via Facebook that she “only narrowly missed the first attack [at a café] by minutes.” She witnessed victims being escorted to emergency vehicles. “We knew we needed to leave the area, but we didn’t know why. In an attempt to seek safety in another cafe, we realized that we still weren’t safe and kept moving. Less than five minutes later, that exact cafe was attacked,” she wrote. “I don’t know how or why we got so, so, so lucky, but we did. I can’t explain how grateful I am for our health and safety. I wouldn’t wish this type of fear on anyone in the world.”
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[…] Update here: Nick Alexander mourned. […]