Rest in Peace, Tyler Hedstrom

The Anarbor and HeadStrum musician died at age 17.

August 3, 2017

Image: Tyler Hedstrom was the drummer in Anarbor.

Tyler Hedstrom was the drummer in Anarbor. Matthew Wilson

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Valley musician Tyler Hedstrom, drummer for Anarbor and HeadStrum, died on July 26. He was 17 years old.

His bandmates in Anarbor announced the tragic news on Saturday in an online statement:

"On behalf of Anarbor and The Hedstrom Family, we regret to inform you that Tyler, our drummer and friend, took his life this week. We are devastated. Tyler was 17, a gifted and magnificent musician, and an inspiration to all of us. He was changing how we approached our live show, how we approached music, and most of all how we approached people. You made us a better band, you made all of us better people."

Hedstrom had already started making waves in the local scene with his last band, HeadStrum. Teaming up with his brother Alex, the pair’s band became finalists in Alice Cooper’s Proof Is in the Pudding contest in 2013. Their 2016 release Without Love made New Times' list of the 40 best EPs released by local artists in 2016.

Hedstrom joined Anarbor earlier this year. The band worked together with Hedstrom’s family to start a GoFundMe page. The fundraiser will help cover the costs of Hedstrom’s funeral and go toward putting together a memorial benefit concert in Arizona. A portion of the donations to the GoFundMe page will also go towards causes working for suicide prevention.

Anarbor and the Hedstrom family are also encouraging fans and friends of Hedstrom to share their memories of the drummer online by using the hashtag #forTyTy.

Funeral services for Hedstrom will be held on Saturday, August 5, at the San Tan Mountain View Funeral Home in Queen Creek. The visitation will take place at 11 a.m., and the service begins at 12:30 p.m.

Ashley Naftule

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