and the Violators, died on Thursday, May 4. His wife Mamie-Claire Cornelius confirmed his death following a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer. Laakso was 44.wrote on Instagram
. “Thank you for giving me the most beautiful life, the most loving and beautiful children and for believing in me every day. You are the light of my life and the only slightest sliver of peace I have is that you are no longer in pain. We’ll be dreaming of you every night until we see you again.”created to support the family and Laakso’s cancer treatments, Cornelius also provided an update.
She added: “I’m also trying to remember for myself and as an example to carry out to our children how much Rob loved life, he was always busy with a new project to better himself, writing a new song, ready for an adventure, eager to try a new restaurant, go for a hike, take a sauna — so please go live life and try something new for him when you feel an ache creeping in.
“Go make the most of it; he pushed through so much just to sit and bask in the joy of our children running through bubbles in the backyard… that was absolute living to him in our most recent days. It doesn’t have to be grand, just enjoy the present deeply.”