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Mike Cross, the founding guitarist of Sponge, recently passed away at the age of 57. On March 9, the news of his death was confirmed by Sponge and his label, Golden Robot Records, but the cause was not revealed.
The Golden Robot paid tribute to Cross on Facebook, saying that they were devastated to hear the news and described him as "a gracious and wonderful human who had the voice of a husky angel and played guitar like the best of them." Sponge also paid tribute to Mike on Facebook and wrote,
“It is with heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Mike Cross. One of the musical architects and founding member of Sponge. His influence and talent will be missed.”
All about Mike Cross and Sponge
Mike joined Sponge as a guitarist and backing vocalist in 1992. He contributed to their most famous songs like Plowed, Molly, and Have You Seen Mary.
The band’s album New Pop Sunday in 1998 was the third and final record that Mike and his brother Tim made with the team before their exit in 2000. Cross used to play for the band Loudhouse before Sponge and recently formed the band MC Roads, who released their EP No Nostalgia in September 2021.
There have been no known survivors of Mike Cross, and detailed information about his date of birth, family, career, and personal life are yet to be revealed.
The journey of Sponge
Sponge initially worked on new music and performed in bars and clubs, and their debut album, Rotting Piñata, was released in 1994. The band then went on tour with Live and Love Spit Love in 1995 and performed at several music festivals.
Their third and fourth singles received a positive response as Rotting Piñata entered the Billboard 200 in 1995. Their second album, Wax Ecstatic, was released in 1996 followed by their third, New Pop Sunday, in 1999.
Sponge’s fourth studio album was For All Drugs in the World, released in 2003. They toured with bands like Gin Blossoms, The Verve Pipe, and others that year.
The band released an EP, Hard to Keep My Cool, and their fifth studio album, The Man, in 2005. Their sixth album, Galore Galore, was released in 2007 followed by an EP titled Destroy the Boy in 2009.
They performed with several bands in 2010 and at EarthFest in 2011. They also opened for Guns N’ Roses at Fillmore Detroit during their tour in 2012. Their seventh album, Stop the Bleeding, was released in 2013 and they performed at the Summerland festival tour alongside touring with Spacehog.
Sponge’s eighth studio album, The Beer Sessions, was released in 2016 and all the members reunited at the annual Detroit Music Awards in 2018.
They collaborated with the Pope Francis Center in 2018 and raised funds for the poor and homeless in Detroit. They then performed at Howard Stern’s SiriusXM studio and toured with the Nixons in 2019.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, their single Stitch was released in July 2021. Their next album was Lavatorium, released in August 2021 and they also performed with Blue October, Gin Blossoms, and Fastball the same year.
