Starship Guitarist Dies After Gig

The lead guitarist for classic rock stalwart Starship collapsed and died from a heart attack after a concert in Nebraska Sunday night. Mark Abrahamian was just 46—youthful by the standards of Starship, whose forerunner, Jefferson Airplane, formed the year before Abrahamian was born. The guitarist, who had also played with Survivor, Toto, Loverboy, and AC/DC, joined Starship in 2000. On the night he died, Starship was the opening band for a concert that also featured Survivor and Boston.

"We had just finished the show. We were back in the dressing room eating. He apparently told the bass player he wasn't feeling well," the band's tour manager tells AP. "It's a shock to everyone." He "was a kind, thoughtful, and innovative soul," the band says on its Facebook page. "He was also a friend and family member. Mark also happened to be one hell of a guitar player. We are devastated by the loss of our brother, and dealing with it the best we can." (More Starship stories.)