Many Phish fans knew Greg Starks, who died recently from bone cancer. Greg was active on Rec.Music.Phish in the 1990s, and also active in various other online phishy realms. He also was a highly regarded tape trader, and a contributor to The Phish Companion. Please consider making a donation in any amount to The Mockingbird Foundation in Greg’s honor, as such donations will be matched up to a total of $250.

John Ferguson eloquently wrote these words about Greg:

I am saddened this morning after discovering the loss of my great friend, Greg Starks. Greg was an awesome guy. He was intellectually brilliant. He was wise beyond his years. Greg had a passion and an exquisite taste for music, excellent music, musicians and bands that he helped others discover. I loved hanging out with Greg on Phish tour, at festivals, in Lansing, and even on phone calls, because when it came to Greg, geographical distance was simply a minor inconvenience. He could reach across the continent in a phone call or an email or chatting via IM, and you felt like he was right there with you all the time.

A friendship with Greg was not simply a loosely-bonded acquaintance; a friendship with Greg was a lifetime connection deeply rooted in fundamental and commingling ways. It is always so tragic to lose those whose time on earth has not extended into the golden years when the aches, and pains, and sheer will that it takes to rise each day brings almost a sense of blessing to their passing. No, for people like Greg, there is still so much of life to be lived and so much more they had to offer. There is nothing blessed about their passing, nothing to show for it but the large void they leave behind.

For those of us who knew Greg, you know exactly what I’m saying; for those of you who didn’t, you really, really missed out. Greg was unique in the most wonderfully invigorating ways. Greg was supportive of his friends. He was loyal, he was cool, he was brilliant, he was wise, sophisticated, fun to be around. Greg was an incandescent presence who illuminated the world for all of us who knew him. I will miss you, Greg Starks, and I will look to the sky and say your name and cry the next time I find myself in the crowd at a Phish show.