American heavy metal singer, Tim Aymar, vocalist for progressive metal band Pharaoh, and known for his work with Chuck Schuldiner in Control Denied, has passed away at the age of 59.

Pharaoh shared the sad news via social media, stating: "We are very sorry to share the awful news of the passing of Pharaoh's one and only singer, Tim Aymar. Tim has meant so much to so many people, whose hearts are suddenly flooded with sadness but also memories of his life and music. We look forward to sharing some of our own memories when the right time has come. Until then, we are joined in sorrow and gratitude with all of Tim's family, friends, fans, and fellow musicians."

Aymar also worked with Pennsylvania-based metal band, Helios, who paid tribute, writing: "It is with immeasurable sorrow that we must confirm the passing of our Vocalist, Producer, and most importantly, Brother: Tim Aymar.  We reached out to Tim during a rather dark period in our time as a band, and his presence breathed new life into everything we were doing, which culminated in the release of Touch the Sun.

"Tim was tireless in his efforts to bring the best out of Helios, both as a Vocalist and as a Producer, and we were honored to share in those efforts. While we are immensely saddened by his passing and will miss him dearly, we are glad to have stood alongside Tim and to have helped share his immeasurable talent with the world.

"We do not have any further details on what happened at this time, and we ask everyone to respect Tim's privacy and that of his family.

"As for the future of Helios, we have not discussed it at this time. We will update you once we've had the heart to discuss it.

"Thank you all for your tireless support and your condolences."

BraveWords offer our condolences to Tim's family, friends, and fans. RIP.