Hydrogyn guitarist / founder Jeff Westlake revealed yesterday that former bassist Chris Sammons passed away recently. He has followed up his previously posted tribute to Sammons:

"The last track that I ever recorded with Chris, 'What's In The Fire', for the In The Key Of Blue release. I had a song idea hit me and I knew exactly who I needed to be on bass. Told Terry Withrow we need a drummer and he found Zack and the three of us, being Chris, myself and Zack, entered the studio to record this song. The three of us had never even been in the same room before and really didn’t know each other as far as Chris and I knowing Zack. We went over the song idea for about an hour and I told Chris play your ass off and man, did he ever. So this is what ends up being my final recording with Chris 'Wookie' Sammons. I actually thought we had years of recording and creating in front of us together. At least we went out on something that showed his ability because he was a big part of pulling the song together as anyone with the way that he read what you needed to do. He was just a monster person and player."

Westlake initially posted the following tribute to Sammons:

"Chris Sammons came into the picture at the end of May, first part of June 2006. The bass position in Hydrogyn had just become vacant and we needed to fill it because we had a string of dates coming up that ran us every where from New York City to Baltimore to Nashville and in between. Within the first couple weeks of being in the band Chris learned our entire set list, and was part of the session for 'Candles Light Your Face' that was recorded with Michael Wagener. One of the band's best songs.

Chris’s live debut with the band was at the world renowned CBGB’s in New York City. What a first gig for a person to walk into but Chris was amazing, made no mistakes and was very much a force from the first show on.

The band spent the rest of 2006 touring for its North America release Bombshell. During the touring time the band was also writing for what was to become 2008’s studio follow up by the name of Deadly Passions. This time included touring in the Midwest , the East Coast and Europe as well. Right near the end of 2007 and the writing process for the new album, the band had to pack up and go back to Europe for one more tour of that year. For this album Chris had brought a couple of riffs that were really stellar riffs that while on tour were worked out into songs that made the new album.

After recording in January and February 2008 for the new album the band quickly packed up and headed back out on tour before the release of the album in June 2008. During this touring cycle of 2008, the band played many places in front of tons of people with really good reaction on the radio to the release in 2008. The band went on to tour all through 2008 and 2009 in support of the new studio album, Deadly Passions.

Chris was a magnificent person to be on the road with. He was fun, full of energy and even very unpredictable at times. I still remember losing him in Brussels, Belgium the night before the tour was supposed to start in Europe and we found him in a pub in the middle of Brussels, drunk, eating spaghetti and playing guitar for the patrons. But that was Chris Sammons, that is who he was and always would be throughout the time that I’ve known him. Chris was an integral part of the band's live show as we figured out some really cool stuff to do at the show; they can only have happened with the musician of his caliber. No matter if we were a four piece or a five piece the things that we could do having him in the band were quite amazing.

Chris was always the guy that was willing to do whatever is needed in order for something to happen. Never one who was too fond of work but to him, music, like myself, is never work as a high passion of his. His abilities on the bass guitar we’re unparalleled, especially in the region that we live. I’ve had the pleasure of having some very big names associated with what we’ve done in this band and I can honestly say that Chris stood out just as brightly as any of them. Unfortunately, after 2010 Chris’s place in the band was on again off again by his own discretion and decisions. He would play randomly here and there on things and we would see him from time to time but he was off doing his own thing.

Chris will be sorely missed not only by myself but all the other people that he played alongside with not only in this band but the other bands that he’s played with locally as well. Once you played in a band with Chris as a bass player you do not want to play with anybody else no matter how good they are and there are plenty of good bass players out there but Chris just locks in and has a feel that, I can tell you as a guitar player, gives you all the comfort that you could ever want in a live situation. I never remember him hitting a wrong note, going to the wrong progression or anything glaring of any type.

On the road when everyone else was asleep, Chris and I were awake making fun of people driving down the road, watching him hang his ass out the window traumatizing people, and always having my back no matter what the situation was. We had our differences but that was OK because at the end of the day he was a great bandmate when he was there, loved to rehearse, and loved to play music all the time.

I never thought that I would be talking about this or have to eulogize somebody who is 17 years younger than me, but here we are unfortunately remembering a person who is great at what he did; passionate, loyal and always ready to go. Again, nobody’s perfect and Chris had his problems, but his injection into this band and into my life and Jeff Boggs’s life, Julie’s life, Davo’s life, Erica’s life, John Cardilino’s life, and all the people that we toured with and had fun with can never be replaced. I don’t know that would’ve happened on the high-level that it did without all the people who were involved in the band when things really were going good and big.

Until there is a meeting again, I bid your passage to be safe and energetic, and I hope a good one to wherever it is that we go, Chris. There is no question that you will be missed by many people not only in music, your everyday friends, your girlfriend, your parents, your brother and so many more.

It is with a very deep regret that we all let go of you to move on, but know that you are appreciated and loved for your contributions in all of our lives."