Primus Drummer Tim Alexander Has Second Heart Attack
For the second time in two years, Tim "Herb" Alexander, the drummer for Primus, has suffered a heart attack. He is currently recuperating at home.
He posted the news yesterday (July 2) on his Instagram account. "I had a second heart attack the other day," he wrote. "I did not think this could happen after having a triple bypass almost exactly 2 years ago. I was overwhelmed with sadness, not because of the fact that I could die but that I would have to say goodbye to my family. It can happen at any moment, and remember IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY so tell the people in your life you love them. Enjoy the days you have with them, they are limited. We are all here for a short time."
He followed it up five hours later with the same picture, but with a new message. "Thank you all for the love. I am home and doing well. Just taking it easy."
Alexander's first heart attack, in 2014, happened two months before Primus were to play Riot Fest dates in Chicago and Denver. The band recruited Tool drummer Danny Carey to fill in for those dates, which deepened the connection between the two bands; Alexander has drummed with Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan in Puscifer and A Perfect Circle. Alexander was back on tour with them in support of Primus & the Chocolate Factory With the Fungi Ensemble, their take on the songs from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Primus went through several drummers before hiring Alexander in 1989, only a few months before they recorded their first album, the live Suck on This. He stayed with them through 1996, during which time they recorded their most successful records, 1993's Pork Soda and Tales From the Punchbowl two years later. He returned to the band in 2003, but left again in 2009. His third stint with the band began in 2013.
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