Beloved Drummer Dies After Severe Gout: Larnelle Gordon Was 34

The Cape Town-based drummer played with musicians like Claire Phillips, Lady Zamar, Alistair Izobell, and more.

Larnelle Gordon, a Cape Town-based drummer known to fans as the “Groove Master,” has died following a severe battle with gout. Gordon, who was diagnosed with the inflammatory type of arthritis when he was just 16, passed away at the age of 37 on Friday, Jan. 26, according to a tribute post shared by Tabernacle of Praise International Church. Confirming her son’s passing, per Daily Voice, Gordon’s mother said he died at home after his father and his two brothers attempted to give him CPR.

Opening up about his health battle with IOL in December, Gordon shared that he was diagnosed with gout, which is caused by too much uric acid in the body, when he was 16. At the time, Gordon was studying at the music College, Xulon when he “felt an unbearable pain in my toe.” Doctors later diagnosed him with “Severe Gout due to an excessive amount of uric acid in my body and genetics.” Gordon, who also suffered from epilepsy after he nearly drowned when he was 13, said the gout “later spread throughout all the joints in my body.”

“It spread to my knees, feet and hands,” he told the outlet. “I usually play with swollen joints but this time I can’t even type a message. I’ve had to cancel all my gigs. I’ve recently had an operation done on my right hand and I need a knee replacement too. I go for regular private check ups and uric acid drainage with no medical aid because the public hospitals are not doing much.”

According to his mother, who told the Daily Voice “it wasn’t a nice thing to see our child suffer,” Gordon’s “hands and legs were deformed, but he was still so eager. We wanted to look after him when he came out of hospital last year but he was so family orientated, he wanted to be at home with his wife and kids.” She said her son had regular doctor’s appointments and had hopes of recovering.

Gordon was a well-known drummer in South Africa, having played with musicians including Jonathan Butler, David Kramer, Lady Zamar, Alistair Izobell, Karen Kortje, Salome, Loyiso Bala, and more. He also drummed for bands such as Take Note Band with Emo Adams and the SAMA-nominated band Blackcurrent with Clinton Viljoen and Tye Platinum. He is survived by his wife Alyssa and three sons, aged 12, five, and two.