Rock Music Figure Dies After Being Ejected in Uber Crash: Bands Confirm HB Abels’ Passing

Bronislau “HB” Abels, the tour manager of rock group Soil, passed away last month in a multiple-vehicle crash involving an Uber he was in. He was 49 years old.

According to multiple media outlets, the accident happened on 1-264 in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sept. 18. Although he was rushed to a nearby hospital, Abels was declared dead.

Abels’ mother, Elizabeth, said he flew from Arizona to Louisville to work as a front-of-house audio engineer at the Louder Than Life music festival. She pointed out that he was on his way to the festival grounds when the accident occurred.

“My first reaction was disbelief and shock,” she said.

Abels’ friend, Rebecca Martos, also shared details about his music industry career.

“It’s not easy in the music industry. He has built himself up over very, very many years of hard work to be a sought-after front-of-house audio engineer. And he started doing bigger and bigger bands,” she explained. “He was extraordinarily thrilled that after he did this, he actually got invited on another tour to play as a bassist.”

Martos also said that Abels’ loved ones were told the crash involved three vehicles and he had been ejected from the vehicle he was in.

“The bands that he’s touched, the people that he has touched — it’s no surprise that people are trying to help because he has helped so many people,” she shared.

In a statement on Facebook, Soil bandmate Tim King paid tribute to Abels.

“For us, he wasn’t just a Soundman/Tour Manager. He was a friend, a confidant, and all around amazing human being that always put others before himself,” King’s post reads. “He and I spent a ton of time together and came up with so many amazing sayings and rituals on the road that I can honestly say they were some of the best touring moments of my life.”

King further shared, “He had a great connection with everyone in the band and looked out for each of us individually like no other. If there was something a particular guy liked, he’d go out of his way to make sure it was there everyday. That’s how selfless and amazing he was.”

“He was part of the family and we are better people for having him in our lives,” King added. “Not to mention how great the band sounded over the 3 years he was in control of the sound board.”