Greg Kihn, who was alternative before there was a name for it as a core artist on groundbreaking East Bay indie Beserkley Records, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 8/13 at the age of 75.

Born in 1949 in Baltimore, Kihn discovered a passion for music early in life. He burst onto the scene with the release of his self-titled 1976 debut album, which garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base. With a unique songwriting style that blended folk, rock, blues and pop, he helped define a rich musical legacy in the San Francisco Bay Area scene while influencing several generations of indie musicians.

Over the course of his career, Kihn toured the world, recorded 18 studio albums and had success with songs like “Jeopardy” (which peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 in 1983), “The Breakup Song,” “Remember” and “Lucky.”

He later spent 17 years as the morning-show host at KFOX while also hosting a nationally syndicated nighttime show.

Kihn continued to record and tour with various iterations of The Greg Kihn Band—whose most recent lineup included Greg’s son, Ry, on lead guitar/vocals. The busy polymath also published six novels and several collections of short stories.

After recently obtaining the rights to all of his old recordings, Kihn remastered and re-released his entire catalog.

He is survived by wife Jay Arafiles-Kihn, son Ry, daughter Alexis Harrington-Kihn and two grandsons.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Greg Kihn’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.