Outrageous Cherry’s Larry Ray Has Died

Larry Ray, founding guitarist of the long-running Detroit psychedelic rock and power pop band Outrageous Cherry, has died. The band announced the news, saying he passed following a short battle with lung cancer. Born in 1954, Larry Ray Piekutowski was the lead guitarist in the band since they formed in 1991. He was also a member of the Ivories and the Spike Drivers. He played on Outrageous Cherry’s dozen albums, including their most recent LP, 2014’s The Digital Age. Their most recent single “I Believe in Sunshine” was released by Burger Records this year. The band wrote in a tribute on Facebook:

Larry was a mysterious guy, who would typically provide elliptical answers to the most straightforward questions, as if he were reading from a 40's film noir script. He had a seemingly limitless knowledge of all kinds of music, and a highly individual guitar style: left-handed, never playing the same thing twice, always coming up with something new. And he was a really nice guy. Larry was one of a kind, and we miss him already.