[Side Man]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

John Pearse was one of the true geniuses I've had the great good fortune to know. John died late last night at a medical facility near his home in Besigheim, Germany. John left behind his wife Linda, his adopted son, and his former wife and longtime business partner Mary Faith Rhoads.

John Pearse was more than just a genius, more than just a charming man, more than just a terrific musician - he was a true friend and mentor to me and many others.

John had been ill for some time now, bedridden and in the hospital. But he somehow rallied, time after time. It's still hard to believe that he didn't quite rally this time around, he didn't make back from the brink as he had before.

Logically, of course, I knew John's death had to happen sooner or later. But emotionally it's as though I've been kicked in the solar plexus, and can't quite recover my breath, or believe that it's really happened...

I can't begin to tell you how often John made a difference in my life, or how much I learned from him. Unless he was away from home, off gallavanting at a trade show, I could always get him on the phone, and we'd talk guitars and string alloys and delve endlessly into the musical minutia that delighted us both.

John was always charitable, if not necessarily diplomatic, and his good humor shone through everything he said and did.

It was an honor and a privilege to have known him. It enriched my life and my spirit simply to have been able to rely on him as a friend.


Wade Hampton Miller

This is sad news indeed. I had the pleasure of meeting John several times over the last few decades, in different parts of the world and can attest to his unique character... a true renaissance man who I'm sure has touched many lives on this planet.

Sympathies to his family; the world is a lesser place today... R.I.P. John Pearse