It’s being reported that former White Zombie/Last Crack drummer Phil Buerstatte was found dead this past weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. No further details have surfaced as of yet. Buerstatte was 44 years old.
Buerstatte played in White Zombie between 1992 and 1994, which included the La Sexorcisto tour. Though having never recorded an album with the band, the drummer did play on “Feed The Gods” from the Airheads soundtrack, their cover of “Children of the Grave” and “I AM HELL” from the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack.
Buerstatte’s former Last Crack bandmate Paul Schluter issued the following statement regarding the drummer’s passing:
“We are sorry to have to announce that Last Crack drummer and our musical brother Phil Buerstatte has passed away today. He will be greatly missed by his many friends, family and fellow band members.
Pull out your Last Crack albums, crank them up loud and remember what a great drummer he was! It is the end of an era for us and sad to say the original lineup will never be able to play together again. Our last show with Phil from 2009 is posted on YouTube in its entirety. The remaining members of the band are discussing doing a tribute show in Phil’s honor in the coming months. We’ll post details soon.”
Sadly, Buerstatte was last in the news for unfortunate circumstances, when a man claiming to be the drummer was arrested on suspicion of defrauding a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Sausalito, CA. The man in question allegedly tried to pay $75,000 for his treatment at the Alta Mira Recovery Center in June with a fraudulent check and bank account information.
