Greg Brown, the acclaimed founding guitarist of the rock band Cake and the sole songwriter behind their hit song “The Distance,” has passed away. Cake officially announced Brown’s death on Saturday, February 7, through a social media post, citing a brief illness as the cause. While his exact age was not disclosed in the announcement, a 2021 Billboard feature had listed him as 51 years old at the time.

In their heartfelt Instagram tribute, accompanied by a black-and-white photo, Cake expressed, “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Greg Brown’s passing after a brief illness.” The Sacramento, California-based group, whose current lineup includes vocalist John McCrea, trumpeter/keyboardist Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Daniel McCallum, and drummer Todd Roper, did not provide specific details regarding the cause of death. The band underscored Brown’s profound influence, stating, “Greg was an integral part of CAKE’s early sound and development. His creative contributions were immense, and his presence — both musical and personal — will be deeply missed. Godspeed, Greg.”

Brown was a pivotal figure in the formation of Cake in Sacramento in 1991, joining McCrea, DiFiore, and other musicians. His guitar work shaped the band’s sound on their initial two albums: the 1994 debut, “Motorcade of Generosity,” and the critically acclaimed 1996 follow-up, “Fashion Nugget.” It was during this period that Brown penned “The Distance,” a song that would become one of Cake’s most recognizable hits, reaching No. 4 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart. Reflecting on the song’s success in a 2021 interview with Billboard, Brown recalled, “[McCrea] took to it right away, and I didn’t really understand what he saw in it so much. I liked the way it sounded and everything, but I thought ‘Frank Sinatra’ was a much stronger choice for the single. But the record label chose it and it worked out.”

Brown ultimately departed from Cake in 1997 after completing a tour in support of “Fashion Nugget.” Looking back in 2021, he offered a more nuanced perspective on his exit, stating, “I might have told you one thing back when I was 27 years old, and I left hot headed and mad about what I considered to be irreconcilable personality problems or whatever. As 51-year-old me, I see a much larger context of what was going on in my life. Rather than get into all of it, I would just say there was a lot of turmoil at the time, and I felt like leaving Cake would be a decision that would be good for my health.”

Following his departure from Cake, Brown continued his musical journey. He founded his own band, Deathray, which included fellow ex-Cake member Victor Damiani on bass. He also collaborated on a short-lived side project with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo called Homie, contributing to their song “American Girls” for the 1998 “Meet the Deedles” soundtrack. Additionally, he lent his talents to a solo project by Matt Sharp. After releasing two albums with Deathray in the early 2000s, Brown later reunited with Cake, playing guitar on the track “Bound Away,” which appeared on the group’s 2011 album, “Showroom of Compassion.” Drummer Todd Roper, reflecting on Brown’s enduring musical connection with frontman John McCrea in 2021, remarked, “Greg and John have — still, to this day — a very powerful chemistry together. I basked in the warmth that came off of that.”