PHOTO BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sib Hashian stands in a photo with fellow members of Boston.
By BILL BROTHERTON
Barry Goudreau remembered Thursday his friend, Boston bandmate and musical brother Sib Hashian, who died on Wednesday.
“Sib was my friend and musical partner for 50 years. I joined a band with Sib and John Vassy of Lynn when I was 15. Our premiere gig was at a club in the ‘combat zone’ in Boston. He and I and our families stayed friends through the ‘Boston’ years to the present. He was one-in-a-million never to be replaced,” a heartbroken Goudreau said in an email.
John “Sib” Hashian, former drummer for the arena rock band Boston, died on board a cruise ship Wednesday. He lived in Lynnfield and was 67.
Hashian’s wife, Suzanne, said the drummer collapsed on stage Wednesday night while performing the band’s songs during the Legends of Rock Cruise.
Goudreau said he was on stage with Hashian when, after the third song, the musician slumped over his drum kit. Medics on the ship attempted to revive him with CPR and with a defibrillator but were unsuccessful. He was also reportedly playing alongside former Foreigner singer Lou Gramm, former Beach Boy David Marks and former Kansas singer John Elefante.
“It is with deep and profound sadness I share the news of my husband’s, John ‘Sib’ Hashian, the drummer formerly of the band Boston, sudden death,” said his wife of 38 years.
His son, Adam Hashian, said Thursday a cause of death had not been determined.
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Hashian was listed as one of the featured performers on the Legends of Rock Cruise, which departed from Miami on Saturday and was scheduled to visit Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. The cruise will continue. The other musicians — including The Grass Roots, Mark Lindsay, Surf City Allstars, John Cafferty of The Beaver Brown Band and others — were to perform tributes to Hashian on Thursday.
Hashian joined Boston in 1975. He played on the band’s 1976 self-titled debut, which includes “More Than a Feeling,” perhaps their best known song. Rolling Stone named “Boston” the 41st best debut album of all time, praising Hashian’s “climactic drum fills in the final fade-out” on “More Than a Feeling.” He also played on the follow-up, 1978’s “Don’t Look Back.”
Most recently, Hashian was a member of Ernie Boch Jr.’s Ernie and the Automatics. Goudreau was a member of that band as were Lynn musician Brian Maes, Tim Archibald and Michael “Tunes” Antunes. Hashian played drums on Goudreau’s 1980 self-titled solo album and appeared on Sammy Hagar’s album “Live: Hallelujah” as an unofficial member of The Waboritas.
Suzanne Hashian said arrangements will be announced at a later date.
In addition to his wife and son, Sib Hashian leaves two daughters, singer-songwriters Aja Hashian and Lauren Hashian, who has been in a relationship with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson since 2007. Hashian also leaves two brothers, Thaddeus and Michael, a sister, Kathy, and several grandchildren. His late father, James, was a former city editor of The Item.
