The Austin-based band Crooks shared the news of the loss of their beloved member, Anthony Ortiz Jr., often referred to as Mr. Squeezebox, had passed away on July 31 at the age of 24 after battling cancer.
Yesterday we lost our brother Anthony Ortiz Jr. to his battle with cancer. Today it hurts a lot. Anthony was many things to many people, and to try to sum them up in a facebook post today just isn’t possible. To us, he was the shining example of optimism, youth, happiness, love, unbending friendship, humor, and most of all, good will. What he gave us when he entered our lives was a direct reflection of who he was, and for that, we are better people and extraordinarily lucky. Our friend will forever live in our beautiful memories and the music we shared together. Last night we sat as a group for the first time in a very long time. We shared stories until the bars closed, and we were just getting started. He was the drive to push us to play the best show we could whether there were 500 people in the audience or 5 (and there were sometimes). Today he is the drive to push us to be the best people we can be. We love you Anthony, and will miss you for the rest of time, but a part of you will be with us wherever we go. Your amazing smile will light our days ahead, and your laugh will forever fill our hearts. Thank you for simply being you.
Our thoughts are with Anthony’s family and friends during this tragic time.