UPDATE: Mastodon and Gojira manager Nick John has passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Both bands paid their respects via social media. See their posts below. R.I.P.
ORIGINAL STORY, 9/4/18: Mastodon announced last week they’d have to cancel their upcoming co-headlining tour with Dinosaur Jr. and Netherlands, citing a “critical situation of a member of the Mastodon family.” Now the band’s Brent Hinds and Brann Dailor — the group’s guitarist/vocalist and drummer/vocalist, respectively — have taken to social media to voice support for their longtime friend and manager Nick John, who, they revealed, is currently struggling with pancreatic cancer.
In his poignant post, Hinds asks fans for “very strong amazing vibes” for Johns, and credits the manager as the main force behind Mastodon’s success as a band. “He is withering away and taking a little bit of me with him,” the guitarist concluded, with a broken heart emoji. Dailor shared similar sentiments in his Instagram post, writing, “I don’t know where Mastodon would be without him. He is absolutely integral to the success we have achieved as a band not to mention one of the best people you’d ever hope to meet. We all deeply love and care for him.” No official statement has been issued by the band. Mastodon’s last LP, 2017’s Emperor of Sand, is a concept album about the devastating effects of cancer, which have struck the group hard over the years.