Les Claypool's Nephew Dies After Battle With Infant Leukemia

By Greg Prato | Rolling Stone – Sat, Feb 9, 2013 12:11 PM EST

Last August, Primus singer and bassist Les Claypool auctioned one of his prototype Pachyderm basses to help raise funds to pay for mounting medical costs for his nephew, Matthew Pierce, who was battling infant leukemia. Claypool reported today that Matthew died on Friday night at the age of two from complications related to the disease.

"My heart aches for my brother Ron, his wife Aimee and his kids Isaiah, Noah and Lilly," Claypool said in a statement. "It has been an extraordinarily tough road for my bro and his family and I want to thank everyone who has reached out to help them over the past couple years. The amount of support they have received has been phenomenal and very touching.

"Matthew was a tough little guy who beat the odds for much longer than anyone ever thought. Because of him and his tenacious struggle, there has been more knowledge accumulated in the procedures of how to treat infant's leukemia and the potential for survival is that much greater. Even though he was just a tot, he has done a great service to those future children who may be misfortunate enough to contract this mysterious and deadly disease."

Les Claypool Auctions Prototype Bass

Further information about Claypool's nephew can be found at the website for Baby Matthew, which has a donation option and also links to sites that offer more information about leukemia.

Related

This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone: Les Claypool's Nephew Dies After Battle With Infant Leukemia

News for You

  • Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

    BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 points while German act Cascada was 21st out of 26 countries, getting just 18 points from Austria, Israel, Spain, Albania and Switzerland. ...

  • OJ Simpson lawyers say he is closer to freedom

    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defense team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison.

  • Dior presents cruise fashions amid stars in Monaco

    MONACO (AP) — The glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior's colorful, sexy cruise fashion show.

  • 'Trek' does $70.6M but falls short of studio hopes

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Star Trek: Into Darkness" has warped its way to a $70.6 million domestic launch from Friday to Sunday, though it's not setting any light-speed records with a debut that's lower than the studio's expectations.

  • 'Star Trek' sequel tops weekend box office in North America

    By Lisa Richwine and Andrea Burzynski (Reuters) - "Star Trek Into Darkness," the newest installment in the classic intergalactic franchise, blasted to the top of movie box office charts with $70.6 million in weekend ticket sales at theaters in the United States and Canada. The new 3D voyage for Captain Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise knocked mighty "Iron Man 3" into second place, while the Marvel superhero sequel grabbed $35.2 million. Jazz Age drama "The Great Gatsby" finished third with $23.4 million, according to studio estimates. ...

  • Denmark's de Forest wins Eurovision song contest

    MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Denmark's Emmelie de Forest has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her ethno-inspired flute and drum tune "Only Teardrops," despite tough competition from spectacular stage shows by performers from Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

Show More