Russell Wilson, the bass player for the iconic Hamilton rock band Junkhouse, has died in his home at the age of 62.

His former partner Pamela Llewellyn confirmed the news, saying he “collapsed unexpectedly” late Tuesday night.

Russell was a Hamilton native and a founding member of the band Junkhouse alongside Tom Wilson, Ray Farrugia, and Dan Achen which was formed in 1989.

“He was an inspiration, he was a powerhouse musician, a creative force and someone that challenged everyone around him, I think he made us all better people because of him” said Tom Wilson his bandmate and lead singer of the band.

The band went Gold and Platinum in Canada, and saw international success throughout the 90’s.

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That success earned Russell and the band multiple Juno awards.

“We’re all a bunch of East Mountain guys who never thought that we would ever really see outside the outskirts of Hamilton and somehow we got together, we fought together physically, we argued, we carved something out together that nobody could take away from us and we loaded a cannon and shot it around the world,” said Tom Wilson.

Chris Lang from Revolution Records said, the band members always seemed like regular guys, that anyone could sit down and have a drink with.

Russell Wilson was also a producer, actor and teacher, and played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Blue Rodeo, and Teenage Head over his long career.

Vocalist Tom Wilson said Junkhouse had been performing together again and was planning concerts this summer with Russ Wilson on bass, and says they don’t know what they will do now.

Llewellyn said Russell was living on the East Hamilton Mountain when he died, and an autopsy is being performed to determine his cause of death.