Following the tragic passing of vocalist Wayne Knupp (RUTHLESS BEATINGS, ex-DEVOURMENT), his girlfriend Jessica has issued to the public a heartwarming and informative update regarding the situation:

“This is Jessica-Wayne’s girlfriend and first of all I want to say thank you to everybody who has sent kind words. They are very much appreciated and I told Wayne about everybody who sent him messages. Unfortunately the rumors you all heard are true and our dear friend Wayne Knupp has passed away today (September 15th) at 2:15 PM due to multiple organ failure that was caused by years of alcohol abuse. Wayne spent 2 ½ weeks in the hospital with a lot of people fighting for him. His family and friends played a big role in supporting him during this difficult time. As you all know Wayne was a major supporter and contributor to the death metal scene for most of his life. He remained loyal to his fans and always stayed brutal till the end. Just yesterday he was throwing up the horns! He never turned anybody away and would give the shirt off his back to help if he could. Just to let you all know, he did pass away very peacefully with his close family and friends around his bedside. I held his hand as he took his last breath, and the last thing he heard was that we were all there and he wasn’t alone. For those of you that could not be there the last couple weeks, do not feel any remorse because he knew you all were thinking of him and that is what kept him fighting till the very end. For any of you, who have thought about starting a fund or having a benefit, please contact me before anything takes place. It is his family’s request that nothing take place without their consent. I will keep you all posted about a memorial service for Wayne that will be held up by Chicago in the near future. I will be handling his MySpace page . MySpace page just to let everybody know. Thank you all for your love and support. It’s very comforting in a time like this.”

(Thanks SMN)