Mars Williams, Saxophonist for The Psychedelic Furs & The Waitresses, Dies at 68
Mars Williams, the saxophonist and ’80s new wave musician known for his work with The Psychedelic Furs and The Waitresses, died on Nov. 20 from ampullary cancer, The New York Times and Deadline confirmed this week.
Williams’ family confirmed his death in an update on GoFundMe, where they were raising money to help him fight the cancer (the page raised $103,051 in donations). The saxophonist’s brother, Paul R. Williams, additionally confirmed the caused of death to the Times and revealed that he died at a hospice facility in Chicago. The musician succumbed to the illness after a series of health issues throughout the year as he removed a tumor from his pancreas in January, which was followed up by six months of chemotherapy.
“Until the end, Mars’ inexhaustible humor and energy, and his love for music, pushed him forward. As it became clear in late summer that his treatment options were coming to an end, he chose to spend six weeks of the time he had left living as he had since he was a teenager – out on the road performing night after night,” the family’s GoFundMe statement read. “Those last performances with the Psychedelic Furs will live on with all of the other incredible contributions that Mars has made as a person, and as a musician, and that boundless energy will continue to inspire.”
Williams’ career began gaining traction during the early 1980s as a member of The Waitresses, fronted by singer Patty Donahue; the band played famed New York City live venue CBGB and spawned cult hits with “I Know What Boys Like” and “Christmas Wrapping,” in addition to the theme song of the ’80s high school sitcom Square Pegs, which starred Sarah Jessica Parker and Jami Gertz.
The saxophonist joined The Furs after the band’s success with “Love My Way” and began contributing starting with the group’s 1984 album Mirror Moves. Williams continued on with the group until 1989 and later rejoined in 2005, continuing to tour with the group until his health started to falter.
Fellow saxophonist and friend of Williams’, Dave Rempis, revealed how his illness caught up with him closer to the end of his life. “By the end, he was sitting in a dressing room with blankets and heaters all around him. He could barely move. But he would still go out onstage and play as hard as ever. He just wanted to be back onstage where he felt most alive,” Rempis recalled in a statement to The New York Times.
Starr Bowenbank
Billboard
