Ryan Siew, Polaris guitarist, dies at 26: 'He was our best friend'

Ryan Siew, guitarist for Australian metalcore band Polaris, has died.

Siew "passed away on the morning of Monday, June 19," the band announced on Instagram Tuesday. He was 26.

Polaris' band members Rick Schneider, Jamie Hails, Daniel Furnari and Jake Steinhauser wrote in a lengthy tribute, "For 10 incredible years he was our best friend and artistic soulmate. Those years will never be enough."

The band remembered their late guitarist as "kindhearted and clever, he was funny and brave and creative, and he was talented beyond all measure."

They recalled his love for art, "great food," "Harry Potter," true crime and music "more diversely than you could ever imagine."

"And most of all, he loved & adored his family & friends. He was also much admired and beloved by so many," Polaris continued. "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 concluded, asking for privacy for Siew's family and their team as they take "the space to grieve & attempt to heal from this immeasurable loss."

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Polaris' announcement of Siew's death comes a week after the metalcore band announced the cancelation of the European summer tour leg due to a "serious personal crisis in our family."

The band was touring their latest album "Fatalism."

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Prior to his death, Siew was open about his battle with mental health.

"I’ve had to step away and spend most of 2023 working on myself and for the first time for as long as I can remember, I’m happy to say I’m no longer on any anti depressants, no longer living with the constant brain fog and lethargy," the guitarist wrote on Instagram in January along with a photo of himself in the hospital.

Siew said he had "a few health scares" but was "back on track to be the best version of myself."