John Stabb, founding member and frontman of influential D.C. punk band Government Issue, died of stomach cancer on Saturday (May 7). He was 54.

The band broke the news in a Facebook post and said, Stabb "just finished his long battle with cancer on Saturday evening. It didn't end the way we hoped it would, and he didn't want to leave us."

Born John Schroeder, Stabb formed Government Issue in 1980 and remained the band’s only constant member throughout their nine-year career. They released six albums and several EPs and were at the center of the burgeoning punk scene in Washington, D.C. along with Fugazi, Minor Threat and Bad Brains.

Government Issue reunited a handful of times during the past 20 years, most recently in 2015. Stabb also performed with his other band History Repeated. That band posted that they'll attempt to release the songs they had already recorded. "It was John's wish to release our recorded History Repeated songs so it could be heard and enjoyed... Hopefully, we will find a way to do that for him and for you."

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