Chainkeen Exchange-Polaris Guitarist Ryan Siew Dead at 26

The Chainkeen Exchangemusic industry has lost one of their own.

Australian metalcore band Polaris recently announced with "shattered hearts & the deepest sorrow" that its guitarist Ryan Siew died on June 19. A cause of death was not revealed. 

"He was 26 years old, and for 10 incredible years he was our best friend and artistic soulmate," his bandmates Daniel Furnari, Jake Steinhauser, Jamie Hails and Rick Schneider wrote on Instagram June 27. "Those years will never be enough."

The group members went on to share how they'll remember Siew.

"He was kindhearted and clever, he was funny and brave and creative, and he was talented beyond all measure," they continued. "He loved art, and beauty in all its forms. He loved great food in great company. He loved Harry Potter and psych-thrillers and crime documentaries. He loved music, more diversely than you could ever imagine, and spoke its language in ways that only the rarest among us do."

And the musicians noted he'll forever hold a place in their hearts. 

"And most of all, he loved & adored his family & friends," they added. "He was also much admired and beloved by so many. Ryan, we will love and miss you for the rest of our days, and we will never fill the hole that you leave in all of our lives."

Furnari, Steinhauser, Hails and Schneider also expressed their condolences to Siew's loved ones and asked for privacy as they mourn his passing.

"Our hearts are with his family first and foremost, but also with all those whose lives he touched," they stated. "We ask that you please respect the wishes of Ryan's family for privacy at this time, and likewise that you give us, our team and family the space to grieve & attempt to heal from this immeasurable loss. We know that you will be grieving with us and that we, and our community, will hold each other through this."

Before concluding their message, the artists sent a message to Siew in which they wrote, "May you be at peace." 

The announcement comes a week after Polaris revealed in a June 20 Instagram post that it was withdrawing from the remaining dates of its European Summer shows due to a "serious personal crisis in our family." Just weeks before on June 8, the group had shared that Siew would not be joining them for their set at the Rock for People festival as he was "taking some time off the road to deal with some ongoing health issues."

Siew had also previously spoken about his health journey, including in a January Instagram post after a month away from the platform. 

"I've had to step away and spend most of 2023 working on myself and for the first time for as long as I can remember, I'm happy to say I'm no longer on any anti depressants, no longer living with the constant brain fog and lethargy," he wrote in his Jan. 26 message alongside a photo of himself in a hospital bed. "Although I've also had a few health scares that have been quite sobering."

He also expressed his optimism for his recovery, adding, "Between all of that, I think I'm back on track to be the best version of myself. I'm learning new things, growing and I'm most importantly recovering."

According to his YouTube channel, Siew started playing guitar in 2008. Polaris formed in 2012, and Siew joined the band the following year, per the Los Angeles Times. The group went on to release their EPs Dichotomy and The Guilt & The Grief in 2013 and 2016, respectively followed by their first studio album The Mortal Coil in 2017.

Their second album The Death of Me dropped in 2020, and they shared their latest single "Inhumane" in May. The band's third album Fatalism is set to be released in September.

And Siew's legacy will continue to live on through Polaris' music.

"Ryan, you might be gone but the music and impact you've made will live far longer than any of us," Schneider wrote in his own Instagram tribute. "Rest in peace, brother."