Warbeast and Rigor Mortis vocalist Bruce Corbitt lost his nearly two-year battle with esophageal cancer on Friday, January 25th at the age of 56. Following the news of his death, Philip H. Anselmo posted a video message with drummer José "Blue" Manuel Gonzalez asking fans to think of Corbitt's family and life in a moving tribute. "I have so much I could say about Bruce and I will eventually," says Anselmo, "But for right now all I can say is I send my love to his wife, his daughter, his mother, and everybody that was close to him."
A visibly shaken Gonzalez, who plays with Anselmo in the Illegals and was Corbitt's bandmate in Warbeast, added, "You know damn well, Bruce Corbitt forever." The two conclude by bowing their heads in a moment of respect for their fallen compatriot in metal. Warbeast released all three of their albums on Anselmo's label Housecore Records, and Anselmo even acted as best man at Corbitt's 2012 wedding to Jeanna Corbitt.
The band also paid tribute on stage in Santiago, Chile (as seen in the fan-filmed footage above), telling the crowd the news of their friend's death before dedicating the set to Corbitt and telling the venue to "bring the fuckin' lights down." Anselmo and Co. then gave an uncharacteristically somber performance of "The Better" while the crowd clapped and cheered along. After an extended outro, the singer raised his arms and shouted, "We are the fucking Illegals" and the house lights came up.
