Marc Trovillion, the original bassist of Lambchop, died of a heart attack on October 10th at age 56. Trovillion was at his home in Chattanooga, TN. “Marc was a charter member of Lambchop,” writes Merge Records on the label’s website. “The band’s origins can be traced directly to his Nashville bedroom, where Marc, Kurt Wagner and original guitarist Jim Watkins first got together in 1987 for weekly practices, equipped with only a Casio keyboard, an amp and a mic strapped to the bedpost.” Trovillion played on all of Lambchop’s albums up until 2002’s Is A Woman; he wrote the song “The Theme From The Neil Miller Show” from 1998’s What Another Man Spills. “Listen to any Lambchop recording up through Is A Woman, and that’s not just Marc’s bass playing you hear,” writes Merge. “All around the notes, you’re hearing his freewheeling spirit, his love of music, food, drink and people.” Read Merge’s full statement below.

Lambchop is deeply saddened to announce that longtime band member Marc Trovillion died of a heart attack on October 10 at his home in Chattanooga.

As he often liked to say, Marc was a charter member of Lambchop. The band’s origins can be traced directly to his Nashville bedroom, where Marc, Kurt Wagner and original guitarist Jim Watkins first got together in 1987 for weekly practices, equipped with only a Casio keyboard, an amp and a mic strapped to the bedpost.

No matter where Lambchop might have been — in smoky practice sessions, packed into a 15-passenger van, or playing the great concert halls of Europe — Marc’s steady, solid bass playing and his innate sense of humor served as the glue that kept Lambchop together. “Buddie T,” as he was known by friends, supplied the band with a steady stream of jokes, off-the-wall stories and whatever beer could be found close to hand. Along with helping to define the band’s sound, he also made his own contributions to Lambchop’s recorded output, including “The Theme From the Neil Miller Show,” the closing track from What Another Man Spills.

Listen to any Lambchop recording up through Is a Woman, and that’s not just Marc’s bass playing you hear — all around the notes, you’re hearing his freewheeling spirit, his love of music, food, drink and people. Though Lambchop eventually swelled to include more than a dozen members, and though Marc himself stopped playing regularly with the band after he relocated to Chattanooga a decade ago, that spirit has always remained a guiding force — and it will continue to as long as Lambchop is a band.

Marc leaves behind a son, Hatch; two brothers; his mother; and all of us who loved him. He will be dearly missed. For those who would like to honor Marc’s memory, a trust has been set up for his son Hatch. Checks can be made out to the Marc Trovillion Legacy Trust and mailed to 825 Kirkwood Ave., Nashville, TN 37204.