Primus guitarist Ler LaLonde‘s home has been destroyed in the ongoing LA wildfires. 24 people have lost their lives in the fires, while 16 people remain missing.
The tragic news about LaLonde‘s home was shared by Primus frontman, Les Claypool, who posted the following message on Instagram: “All that is left of our good friend Ler Lalonde’s home. When Mother Nature gets up on her hind legs, it can be brutal. My heart hurts for him and his family.”
In another Instagram post, LaLonde’s wife, Shane, shared the following: “Our home is gone, and so are the homes of every one of our friends and neighbors. I am still in shock, not quite sure what just happened. The first photo is the video confirmation we received that our home was lost. Ours is the second property with the tree still with oranges in the front yard but nothing else. The other videos are our evacuation videos and some other videos shared with us. I’m not sure what happens now. But I am realizing hour by hour all that was lost. Especially hurtful my grandmother’s paintings, our letters and notes we shared, my incredible book collection omg both my Norman Rockwell signed Norman Rockwell books!!!! I just realized as I was typing this!!!!”
“I went to buy an outfit today since I don’t have anything but the clothes I left in and realized I don’t have socks or shoes or a jacket. The memories, the family heirlooms, things I can’t say, and even hard drives we forgot in the chaos. We lost everything. It doesn’t sink in easily that you have nothing…. It’s still sinking in minute by minute. I know we are safe and yes I am grateful, but I can’t even begin to be close to grace yet as I can’t even comprehend this yet. Not just the things, but our town, our community. We all no longer have a home, a neighborhood, a school, a community. I am gutted to the core. 💔”
“Thank God and our friends who gave us a wonderful home to evacuate to. You are our guardian Angels during this time. To all my friends I love you so much, I am so sorry this has happened.” 💔
California is currently battling devastating wildfires, with the Pacific Palisades fire being among the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history. Fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds, the fires have destroyed over 12,000 structures, caused at least two fatalities, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.