According to friends, the 32-year-old (who performed as Craigslist Killa and was also known as Ressless Legz) passed away in his sleep sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning. No cause of death has been established at this time.
He is survived by his parents, multiple relatives, and his extended family of friends across the Valley who are mourning his loss. Gimbel was a major music aficionado and a fixture in both the DJ and local rock scenes, as well as a friend and colleague to many.
As word spread about Gimbel's passing, his Facebook wall has become flooded with memories from friends, fellow DJs, and others expressing their disbelief, sorrow, and condolences.
"We had only met a few months ago and the chance to get to know each other was brief," wrote local fashion designer Tiffe Fermaint. "I'm so sorry that we didn't have a chance to work on the things we wanted to. You were always kind to me. You were loved by so many."
Indie folk artist Stephen Steinbrink, who shared a Tempe residence with Gimbel (dubbed Brokeback Palace) where they hosted house shows for the past few months, posted a message on his Facebook page about his roommate and friend on Sunday.
"He was intensely loving, outstandingly insane, and fiercely supportive and dedicated to his friends and community, always sticking up for the people and things he was inspired by," Steinbrink wrote. "Meeting his family today, I told them how loved he was by so many of us, and I hope it is a comfort to them. I want to remember him always, sitting on the living room floor during the last show at Brokeback, listening to music he loved with pure joy on his face."
A former member of Treasure Mammal, he also was involved with organizing and promoting shows (albeit behind the scenes) at venues like the Trunk Space, where he was a regular. But a major love of music wasn't the only passion that Gimbel possessed. A graphic and fashion designer by trade (who worked for American Apparel in L.A. and launched his own label Avocado Goth), Gimbel also most recently organized the popular "Hang the DJ" night at the Rogue Bar in Scottsdale and was a prolific writer, fanzine publisher, and artist.
Fermaint and a few other friends posted a quote on Gimbel's Facebook that reveal his poetic leanings that seem apropos in the wake of his death.
"I think a lot about life as if I've lived several already. Like my past can be segmented into 'past lives,' beginning and end not tallied by birth and death but by events that I deem metamorphic. The logical tenant that occupies my head space warns that these events only seem important and the journey is much more congruent than I like to admit."
A memorial service for Gimbel will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Trunk Space (see below). Avocado Goth T-shirts and donations will be accepted to help assist his family. More info can be found here.
UPDATE: Donations are also being accepted through Wells Fargo Bank (mention the "Richard Scott Gimbel II Benefit Memorial Fund") and Paypal (click here for more information).
UPDATE #2: Saturdays memorial service has been moved to the Hackett House, 95 West Fourth Street in Tempe. Start time is still 2 p.m.