NEW YORK — Justin Cary, the bassist for Sixpence None the Richer, died on Thursday just days after suffering a stroke, the band confirmed. He was 50 years old.

“‘We sure had a great time’ is an understatement. Thank you, Justin. We love you forever,” frontwoman Leigh Nash wrote on Instagram.

“Justin Cary was kind, talented, and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,” she continued. “Whenever he had a story, I would stop to listen. I had to be sure to catch the end of ‘Kiss Me’ every night because he did this funky bass lick that tickled my brain so good.”

Nash concluded: “I feel incredibly lucky to have known him and to have learned the touring ropes from someone so extraordinary. I was looking forward to being his friend for a long time.”

According to a GoFundMe page set up to help cover medical costs, Cary suffered a “serious stroke” last week and had been receiving care at Albany Medical Center in New York. He underwent two surgeries and was being treated in intensive care, where he was placed on a respirator prior to his death.

His wife “Linda was next to him” when he died, a statement posted on the page said. “Please continue to pray and give strength during this very difficult time.”

The GoFundMe has so far raked over $38,000 of its $40,000 goal.

Sixpence None the Richer was formed in 1992 and Cary joined two years later in 1997, the same year the band released its self-titled album. It featured the song “Kiss Me,” which reached at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned the group a Grammy nomination in 2000.

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