We are saddened to report that James Levesque, one of the original bassists for Agent Orange -- and a very influential musician in the Orange County punk-surf-rock scene -- has died. He passed away on Oct. 19.

Levesque joined Agent Orange in 1981 and stayed with the band for about seven years. During his tenure with the Orange County punk legends, he co-wrote several songs including ‘Everything Turns Grey,’ ‘Voices In the Night’ and ‘In Your Dreams Tonight.’

In addition to touring with the band, his influence is stamped firmly on Agent Orange’s 1981 ‘Living In Darkness.’ “Even before the ‘Living In Darkness’ studio sessions, each performance, live, in the studio or in rehearsal, James consistently played each song the exact same way,” original Agent Orange drummer Scott Miller tells the O.C. Weekly. “It was James’ thumping consistency on bass that afforded me [an] opportunity to experiment and improvise with the rhythms and create my musical chaos.” Miller and Levesque may have not followed similar musical methods, but the end result was worth it, an end result that, as the drummer calls it, was a “harmonically dissonant relationship that [produced] some of the most original sounds.”

When he decided stop plucking the bass, he couldn’t get completely out of the music and entertainment industry and found himself working on the other side as a publicist in Beverly Hills.

Diffuser would like to extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Levesque's friends and family during this difficult time.

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