Bruce “Loose” Calderwood, the vocalist and bassist for San Francisco punk band Flipper, has died. The frontman reportedly passed from an apparent heart attack. He was 66.
The band confirmed the death on Facebook. A post on Who Cares Anyway SF reads, "After a prolonged struggle with life, Bruce 'Loose' Calderwood of Flipper passed away from an apparent heart attack earlier this week at the age of 66."
Calderwood fronted the group on all four of their studio albums beginning with 1980’s Album – Generic Flipper, an LP with a heavy, plodding sound hugely influential to bands like Nirvana and Melvins. Kurt Cobain wore a DIY Flipper shirt for Nirvana's first performance on Saturday Night Live in 1992, as well as in the "Come As You Are" music video. Calderwood left the group for good in 2015 due to a back injury and was replaced with Jesus Lizard vocalist David Yow.
RIP Bruce Loose https://t.co/UV867IW5SU
— Nirvana (@Nirvana) September 6, 2025
