Avett Brothers Bassist Leaves Band to Care for Ailing Daughter

BY Alex HudsonPublished Oct 3, 2011

North Carolina's the Avett Brothers have won a devoted following with their sweet and sensitive folk tunes. Sadly, the group will be going ahead for the time being without their bassist Bob Crawford, as he is stepping away from music to care for his ailing daughter.

In a post on the band's website, Crawford revealed that his 22-month-old daughter Hallie had a seizure and was diagnosed with a large brain tumour, classified as Grade 3 Ependymoma. She has since had a stroke and two brain surgeries.

Crawford wrote, "My wife Melanie and I would like to thank everyone for their love, care, and support during the most difficult time in our lives. I would like to thank everyone for their understanding of the gravity of this situation and ask for respect to our privacy. When people ask us what they can do to help, we ask them to pray for Hallie's recovery. We feel that God has already worked miracles through Hallie and we pray they keep coming."

Understandably, the future of Crawford's music career is uncertain, but he did reassure fans that he would rejoin the band eventually. He promised, "Someday I will return to the stage with my brothers. When that will be I can not say. We are truly living one day at a time."

Read the full post here.

By the looks of things, the Avett Brothers will be continuing on tier U.S. tour without Crawford, so check out the schedule here.

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