Former Roots bassist Leonard Hubbard dies at 62 after lengthy battle with cancer
Leonard Hubbard, former bassist and founding member of the Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Roots, has died after a nearly decade and a half-long battle with cancer.
Hubbard’s wife, Stephanie Hubbard, confirmed the news of her husband’s death to the Philadelphia-based 6abc station. She said despite his being “energetic and mobile” on Tuesday, the 62-year-old’s health took a sharp decline Wednesday night and he found himself suddenly immobile. Stephanie was unable to stay with Hubbard after taking him to the hospital due to COVID-19 restrictions.
"I was called to the hospital,” Stephanie told 6abc. “They told me what had happened, that he had passed. I went to the hospital and was able to sit with him."
Hubbard was diagnosed with the blood cancer multiple myeloma in 2007, the same year of his departure from The Roots, 6abc reported. Even in the midst of cancer treatments, including two rounds of chemo, Hubbard continued to make music, Stephanie said; he finished working on a piece titled "The Awakening" the week before his death.
"When you hear his project, you'll see he was so much more than what people know," she said.
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Hubbard, affectionately known as “Hub,” is survived by his former bandmates Questlove and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. Rapper Malik B. died last year, according to a statement posted to the band's Instagram.
“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we say goodbye to our brother Leonard Nelson Hubbard,” the band tweeted Thursday. “May your transition bring peace to your family to your friends to your fans and all of those who loved you.”
Hubbard began honing his musical prowess in West Philadelphia, learning to play the bass in the fourth grade, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hubbard took inspiration from the music of saxophonist John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix, and also studied classical piano.
Hubbard joined The Roots – then called the Square Roots – in 1992, when he played with Black Thought and Questlove at a gig, the Inquirer reported.
“They didn’t know me from Adam,” Hubbard told the outlet in 2007. “Ahmir (Questlove) told me to take a solo, and when he saw that I was a virtuoso, he was like, ‘Oh, man, keep playing, keep playing.’"
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Hubbard went on to play with the band for nine albums, including “Things Fall Apart,” which has sold 1 million copies to date, according to the Recording Institute of America.
Fans have flocked to social media to express their grief and appreciation for Hubbard’s life and musical legacy.
“I’ve known Hub since we were kids in school,” Donna Wilson wrote. “He was a phenomenal musician and have fond memories of him playing in his band called Bittersweet at (our) prom. We (were) so proud when he became a member of the Roots!”
Twitter user @jeaniegirl7 said Hubbard was a “Very talented and down to Earth individual.”
“My condolences and prayers to his family and close friends,” the user wrote. “Rest well Brother Hub.”