Mark Abrahamian Dead of Heart Attack Following Concert
Mark Abrahamian, a member of the 1970s band Starship, passed away Sunday night following a concert in Nebraska.
The Starship guitarist, who has toured with the band since 2000, passed away after a nighttime concert performance on Sept. 2. Band members reported that Abrahamian, 46, suffered from a heart attack following the show.
"We are shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of our guitar player Mark Abrahamian. We will miss you, brother. Rest in peace, Mark," the band posted on its Twitter account following a Monday announcement that the guitarist had passed.
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The band, famous for hits like "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," described Abrahamian as family on their Facebook site.
"Mark was a kind, thoughtful and innovative soul. He was also a friend and family member," the band members wrote. "Mark also happened to be one hell of a guitar player. We are devastated by the loss of our brother and just dealing with it the best we can."
The band's next performance was scheduled for Tuesday night in Utah, but has since been cancelled. Abrahamian was a well known guitar players who in the past had also played with the likes of Cliff Williams of ACDC, Floyd Sneed of Three Dog Night, and Peter Rivera of Rare Earth, in addition to many more.
He began playing guitar at the age of 10 at the insistence of his mother to find something to do one summer, according to the guitar player's biography site. Abrahamian was initially inspired by the band K.I.S.S. and in particular, Edward Van Halen's song entitled "Eruption."
"I lived, breathed, ate and slept music," Abrahamian once said in an interview after his discovery of Van Halen.
During his time with Starship, the band is estimated to have played anywhere from 100 to 125 shows a year.
