Thom Fekete Of Surfer Blood, Passes Away

If there’s one thing I’m truly thankful for in this lifetime, it’s having the extreme honor of calling Thom Fekete a friend. But, really, Thom was everyone’s friend: If you knew him through his band Surfer Blood—as a fan, fellow musician, or whatever your connection may have been—his kindness, generosity, humbleness, brilliance, and humor shined through, always. He was a beam of light.

I have so many stories I can share about Thom (after-parties, dancing to The Cure at his wedding, sending vlogs to one another, quoting The Office constantly, talking about the importance of Kate Bush and Enya, etc.), but I would like to share the time I first met him: It was years ago at the NYLON office, when his wife, Jessica, was working here, and he used to sneak in after-hours and wait lovingly by her desk as she finished her work on days when everyone else had already left. Since Jess and I sat right across from each other, and most nights I stayed late working, too, Thom and I would fill the air with conversation about everything and anything. That was the start of our friendship; a gift I will cherish forever.

After fighting a very long and aggressive battle with a rare form of cancer in the past year, he tragically lost that battle last night “peacefully in his sleep, holding my hand,” as stated by Jessica on his GoFundMe page.

Thank you, Thom, for existing, even if for a short while, and for spreading your love and energy to all of those who knew you. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Fekete family during this time.