Keyboardist Stephen Malinowski, who played with several bands including Turkuaz, passed away over the weekend at his home in New Orleans, just a week before his 26th birthday. Turkuaz posted a statement addressing his death, saying, “Steve was an extraordinary musician, a one of a kind talent, and a fun, loving and kind person.”

Malinowski attended The Berklee College of Music for piano performance and played with several bands during his study there, including ensembles dedicated to the music of Parliament Funkadelic and Bob Marley. Once out of school, Malinowski played with Blue Mountain Bustdown, a Massachusetts-based jamband that included bassist Josh Carter of Hayley Jane & The Primates, Ben Teters of Palmslap, John Ellington and Cory West. The band formed a relationship with Dopapod, opening for the band. Malinowski also played in a reggae band, iLa Mawana, which featured vocalist Hayley Jane, along with a reggae house band for The Hub Dub with musicians like Dan Africano of John Brown’s Body.

The keyboardist joined Turkuaz after moving from Boston to New York, and his stint with the funk collective included their first performance at Mountain Jam. Watch a video clip of that show below. Making another move to New Orleans, Malinowski formed an organ trio, Solar Strut, with Joe Gelini and Chris Alford and played with Cha Wa Band, June Yamagishi of Papa Grows Funk and Ana Popovic, among others.

Read the full statement from Turkuaz below.

From Turkuaz:

We are still in complete shock at the loss of our dear friend, Stephen Malinowski. Steve was an extraordinary musician, a one of a kind talent, and a fun, loving and kind person.

It was such an honor for us to play music and tour with Steve in our band for over a year. After some time, he made the move down to New Orleans, where he was every bit as loved and embraced in the musical community. Every time we saw him over the past few years, he seemed so happy, and in his element, right where he wanted to be.

This is such a devastating loss and we still struggle to find the words to say. But Steve left so much love in his path, and so we try and focus on the amazing legacy he leaves behind. You can truly see his passion for playing, and for life in this video. He exudes such joy as he gives this incredible performance.

We love you and miss you, Steve. Your beautiful contributions to this world will echo on forever.