Trey Anastasio Mourns Death of Bandmate: ‘A Magnificent Soul’

Trey Anastasio is mourning the loss of his bandmate James Casey. Casey, the saxophonist for the Trey Anastasio Band, died at age 40 on Monday, Aug. 28 following a two-year battle with colon cancer, with Anastasio joining the music world in paying tribute to the talented musician.

“I’m heartbroken about the loss of our friend and bandmate James. My heart is with James’ mother and father, his beautiful wife Ayla, and with the rest of his amazing family,” Anastasio wrote on Twitter, formerly X, alongside a photo of Casey. The guitarist and singer also shared a clip to Instagram showing the band singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in tribute to Casey, captioning the video, “We love you James.”

Born in Washington D.C. to a musical family that eventually relocated to Phoenix, Casey was just 3 when he began to play the drums and 9 when he first picked up a saxophone, according to JamBase. It was while he was attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he pursued a degree in music business, that he began playing with Soulive and Lettuce, later forming a band with Louis Cato. He went on to join the Trey Anastasio Band after trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick, who met Casey at Soulive’s 2012 Bowlive run, suggested him to Anastasio, who at the time was playing as Phish’s guitarist.

In addition to the Trey Anastasio Band, Casey also has recording credits with Phish, Lettuce, The Roots, The Jonas Brothers, Dave Matthews Band, Chaka Khan, Wu-Tang, John Legend, Roy Hargrove, Soulive, Michael Kiwanuka, Melody Gardot, Shawn Mendes, 5th Harmony, Carly Rae Jepsen, Leslie Odom Jr., and more. He also toured with Meghan Trainor and was part of several Phil Lesh & Friends lineups. In December 2022, he released his debut EP A Little Something For Everyone.

In 2021, Casey was forced to miss the Trey Anastasio Band’s 2021 Fall Tour and other shows after he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Following his diagnosis, he underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumor and was hospitalized for over a week before he began an intense chemotherapy treatment regimen. His battle against cancer was documented in the short film Music As Medicine.

Amid his battle with cancer, a GoFundMe page was created to help cover Casey’s medical and living expenses. An update on Aug. 28 announced his passing, sharing that he “died peacefully in the early morning of August 28, 2023, surrounded by his wife and family. James persevered through his colon cancer battle for two years, and it was the honor of his career to release solo music and perform during that time.” He is survived by his wife Ayla Cobb Casey, mother Gina René Miles Casey, father Duane John Casey, sister Rachel Jean Cato and brother Stephen Duane Casey.