Bruce Gaston, American musician who became Thai maestro, dies at 75

Bruce Gaston, an American musician who found fame melding the musical traditions of his native and adopted cultures to become an acclaimed Thai musician in his own right, died Sunday after a bout with illness. He was 75.

One of the founding members of Fong Naam, a pioneering group which fused Western and Thai music, Gaston had been battling liver cancer for several years prior to his death Sunday at home, his family said this morning.

“He passed away Sunday morning with all of us holding his hand, by his side, at home,” said his son Theodior Gaston, a guitarist in bands such as Flure and Ghost Cat. “He had been unconscious since the day before … so it was like he was already sleeping.”

Gaston was born in Los Angeles in 1946. There he graduated from USC with degrees in philosophy and music.