Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has announced the death of his uncle Jim Corgan. Alternative Nation sends its thoughts and prayers to Corgan and his family during this tough time, and encourages readers to send their love and support to Corgan.
“Say a prayer if you could for my uncle Jim Corgan (brother to my father Bill), who passed into God’s care this morning. He was a good man, and that’s more than you can say for many.”
Corgan has spoken of his bond with his relatives on his Instagram page in recent months, sharing photos with his son Augustus Juppiter, brother Rick, nephew Julian, and a touching video with his father Billy Sr.
He wrote last month, “My brother @rickcorgan and his son Julian with Augustus and I. It’s been a crazy trip! 3 days at Disneyworld with just AJC and I (and I do mean he and I as in no nanny along), visiting my Father on the west of Florida and then my Brother on the east. But so, so rewarding, as I’ve had experiences with my son I wouldn’t have had otherwise. And which means every effort made (good, bad, or indifferent) was absolutely worth it.”
He also discussed seeing his father last month, “AJC with my father, Billy Dale Corgan. Though my Father and I have had our bumps and downs through the years, and as he pointed out to me yesterday, ‘think of the stories I haven’t told you’, he remains the original inspiration for my life in music. And it’s a shame that I don’t have any evidence to demonstrate to you what an incredible musician he was in his prime, and how to this day his talent inspires awe and a sense of dignity in my heart; for music being a noble art, his respect for greatness in others made me want to live up to his high standards.
Which might explain my long-standing scrum with the critical intelligentsia, for believe it or not, and their various condemnations aside, my Father’s standards were always much higher than theirs. So it wasn’t they in whom I wanted ultimate validation from, it was his. Which is why Bill Sr’s blessing on the Orpheus-like return of the band means so much to little Bill.”
