Clark Sabine, of Local Band Statehood, Dies at 33

Word spread through the local music community yesterday that Clark Sabine, singer for the local band Statehood, had finally succumbed to his long battle with cancer. Sabine, 33, died Tuesday night at a hospice facility in Arlington. His bandmates posted this message to their website overnight:

We are deeply saddened to tell you that Clark passed away on Tuesday evening at a hospice in Arlington, VA. He was first diagnosed with melanoma in February of 2008, and after a series of surgeries and treatments, we thought he was in the clear. In the fall the cancer returned and spread to other parts of his body. Experimental treatments were in the works, but we needed chemotherapy to shrink some of the tumors before beginning this treatment. In May, we found out that the chemo was not working and that the condition was terminal. Clark was 33 years old.

As a band, we had 10 songs in line for a second Statehood record, and we'll talk about where we go with that in weeks to come. While Clark was in hospice care, he did some additional tracking with our friends Nikhil and Jason, and we listened to newer recordings to sort out details in the songs. Music was insanely important to Clark, and it gave him comfort to keep working on songwriting until the end.

Playing in a band with Clark was extraordinary and something to look forward to week in and week out. Often at practice we'd be laughing until we couldn't breathe from Clark's wild sense of humor and adventure. Anyone who knew him, even in passing, knows exactly what we mean. To say that he will be missed is an absurd understatement.

Thank you to everyone who gave Clark and the band support through these trying times. We will come back with more information as soon as we have it.

- Eric, Joe and Leigh