Aaron Huffman, bassist and co-founder of Seattle alt rocker outfit Harvey Danger, died Sunday of respiratory failure after a lengthy illness. Bandmate Sean Nelson broke the news in a moving tribute he wrote for The Stranger, where Huffman (pictured far right) worked as art director for nine years.

Huffman, Nelson and fellow University of Washington students Jeff Lin and Evan Sult formed Harvey Danger in 1992. Their debut album, 1997's Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? was initially released by indie The Arena Rock Company, but as the single "Flagpole Sitta" began to gain national attention, Slash Records picked up the album and reissued it. But even beyond the hit single, the album is definitive '90s power pop.

Harvey Danger released two more albums and several EPs during the following 12 years before announcing their breakup in 2009. In Nelson's tribute, he wrote, "I’ve often said that Aaron’s distinctive distorted bass, which he often employed as a melodic lead instrument, was the signature element of the band’s sound... He was exacting but generous, hilarious but sincere, elegant but unpretentious. He loved Capitol Hill, loved Seattle, loved rock’n’roll."

More From Diffuser.fm