Rock Drummer Zach Ross Dies in Car Crash

Crescent Moon drummer Zachary Ross has died. Ross passed away Friday, July 29 after a single-car crash in the town of City Point, Wisconsin. Ross had been traveling westbound on Highway 54 when the vehicle he was driving entered the ditch, causing the vehicle to roll, according to police, WEAU 13 News reported. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Deputies received a report of a man lying on the road at around 2:03 p.m. Ross was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Crescent Moon frontman Shane Nelson, Ross was on his way to a show when the fatal crash occurred. In a Facebook tribute, Nelson described Ross as his “best friend,” adding that his “heart is broken, a piece of my family is gone, and I don’t have the words right now to describe what we are going through.” He remembered Ross as a “hard-working musician who took care of his mom and family,” concluding the tribute by sharing, “for now, we are going to allow ourselves a moment to catch our breath, let this sink in, and to grieve the loss of our Zachy-boy.”

Ross showed an interest in music from a young age, with the Duluth News Tribune reporting that the musician had a drum kit and was a regular at Music Go Round by fifth grade. He went on to take lessons from professional drummer Eric Pollard, and while attending Superior High School in the late 2000s, he met Nelson and the two began playing together. Nelson shared that Ross “would be sitting there during a math assignment or a test or something, and he would be air drumming with pencils. I saw it in him right away, and I wanted to be a part of that.” After forming Crescent Moon, the band has been active in the Twin Ports for over a decade and often played originals and cover songs at gigs in the local area and the broader region.

Amid his passing, a GoFundMe page has been created to help cover the expenses associated with Ross’ death and also to help support his mother, Andrea Ross, whom Nelson shared the musician was living with. The page remembers Ross as “a phenomenal musician and one of the best people we could have ever hoped to know… We will always remember Zach for his amazing musical talent, his compassion for dogs, and his love for his friends and family.” The page has raised nearly $10,000. Ross is survived by his mother, two dogs, Odin and Packer, his brother, Dylan Ross, and father, Kyle Ross.