Ryan Siew, guitarist for metalcore band Polaris, dead at 26

Ryan Siew, guitarist for the metalcore band Polaris, died on June 19, the band announced on Tuesday. He was 26.

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The Australian band shared the news in an Instagram post, stating that its “best friend and artistic soulmate” Siew had passed away. No cause of death was given.

“He was kindhearted and clever, he was funny and brave and creative, and he was talented beyond all measure,” the group wrote. “He loved art, and beauty in all its forms. He loved great food in great company. He loved Harry Potter and psych-thrillers and crime documentaries. He loved music, more diversely than you could ever imagine, and spoke its language in ways that only the rarest among us do.

“And most of all, he loved & adored his family & friends. He was also much admired and beloved by so many. Ryan, we will love and miss you for the rest of our days, and we will never fill the hole that you leave in all of our lives.”

The band was preparing for the Sept. 1 release of its latest album, “Fatalism,” CNN reported. The group was on a promotional tour in Europe but last week announced on Instagram that they would be canceling tour dates “due to a serious personal crisis in our family.”

Polaris was formed in 2012 and Siew joined the band the following year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

They released their debut album, “The Mortal Coil,” in 2017 and “The Death of Me” three years later, according to the newspaper.

In January, Siew shared a photo of himself on Instagram, lying in a hospital bed while plugged into several machines, the Times reported. It was unclear why he was in the hospital, saying only that he was “working on myself.”

“For the first time for as long as I can remember, I’m happy to say I’m no longer on any antidepressants, no longer living with the constant brain fog and lethargy. Although I’ve also had a few health scares that have been quite sobering,” Siew wrote. “Between all of that, I think I’m back on track to be the best version of myself. I’m learning new things, growing and I’m most importantly recovering. I’m sorry for being silent, leaving a lot of you in the dark, hurting those who love me the most in the process of all this chaos, but grateful for the patience and support I’ve received.”

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