Greg Brown, founding guitarist of Cake and writer of the band’s hit song “The Distance,” has died.

Cake announced Brown’s passing in a social media post on Saturday (Feb. 7). His age was not provided in the announcement, but a 2021 Billboard feature listed him as 51 at the time.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Greg Brown’s passing after a brief illness,” Cake wrote on Instagram alongside a black-and-white photo of their late bandmate.

The Sacramento, California–based rock act — whose current members include vocalist John McCrea, trumpeter/keyboardist Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Daniel McCallum and drummer Todd Roper — did not specify an exact cause of death.

“Greg was an integral part of CAKE’s early sound and development,” the group added. “His creative contributions were immense, and his presence — both musical and personal — will be deeply missed. Godspeed, Greg.”

Cake was founded in Sacramento in 1991, with Brown on guitar alongside McCrea, DiFiore, and others. He played on the band’s first two albums: its 1994 debut, Motorcade of Generosity, and the 1996 follow-up, Fashion Nugget.

Brown was the sole songwriter of Cake’s 1996 single “The Distance,” which reached No. 4 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart.

“[McCrea] took to it right away, and I didn’t really understand what he saw in it so much,” Brown told Billboard of “The Distance” in 2021. “I liked the way it sounded and everything, but I thought ‘Frank Sinatra’ was a much stronger choice for the single. But the record label chose it and it worked out.”

Brown left Cake in 1997 following a tour in support of Fashion Nugget.

“I might have told you one thing back when I was 27 years old, and I left hot headed and mad about what I considered to be irreconcilable personality problems or whatever,” he said in 2021. “As 51-year-old me, I see a much larger context of what was going on in my life. Rather than get into all of it, I would just say there was a lot of turmoil at the time, and I felt like leaving Cake would be a decision that would be good for my health.”

The guitarist went on to start his own band, Deathray, with fellow former Cake member Victor Damiani on bass. He also joined a brief side project of Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo called Homie, playing on the group’s only release, “American Girls,” from the soundtrack for 1998’s Meet the Deedles.

After releasing two Deathray albums in the early 2000s, Brown reunited with Cake to play guitar on “Bound Away,” which appeared on the group’s 2011 album, Showroom of Compassion.

See Cake’s post about Brown’s death on Instagram here.

One man has died and six others were hospitalized after attending the Dreamstate music festival in Australia.

The New South Wales Police were patrolling the electronic music event at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday (Feb. 7), when multiple festival-goers began experiencing what authorities described as “medical episodes,” according to TMZ.

The festival — dubbed online as the “ultimate trance and techno destination” — featured a lineup that included Paul van Dyk, Vini Vici, Gareth Emery, Ben Nicky and Giuseppe Ottaviani. A second day of the event was scheduled to take place at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse on Sunday (Feb. 8).

The man who died at the scene in Sydney was reportedly in his 40s and had not been formally identified at press time. Six other people were hospitalized, with one person remaining in critical condition.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

“A crime scene has been established, and police commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the New South Wales Police told People.

Investigators say the man may have suffered cardiac arrest possibly linked to a suspected drug overdose, and police are looking into whether multiple attendees experienced a mass drug overdose during the festival, according to 9News Australia.

During the festival, Dreamstate organizers shared a warning on its Instagram Story from VIC Health, noting that “high-dose MDMA capsules and pills are circulating in Victoria.”

Officials later confirmed there was no pill-testing facility available at the event, according to TMZ.

John Graham, Australia’s Minister for Music and the Night Time Economy, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that “there was no trial pill-testing facility available at the event.” But he added that a “safety action plan was in place” at the event and followed government rules.

“A range of harm reduction initiatives are in place at festivals, including support and health promotion workers, health messaging, free chilled water, misting fans, chill-out spaces and well-equipped medical services,” a NSW Health spokesperson told ABC.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has officially declared Feb. 8 “Bad Bunny Day” across the state, coinciding with Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl LX halftime performance in Santa Clara.

“I am declaring tomorrow in California as ‘Bad Bunny Day’ when Bad Bunny performs at the big game in the Golden State with his soothing, beautiful voice, and his very nice looks,” Newsom said via X on Saturday.

Newsom later amplified his support with a tongue-in-cheek follow-up message, describing himself as “a tremendous lover of the Spanish” and “a huge fan of Puerto Rico,” before adding, “We love Bad Bunny! He is nearly as ‘hot’ as me — which is a big compliment, because there is nobody hotter. Happy Bad Bunny Day, America.”

Support also came from Tim Cook, who praised the artist on social media ahead of the game in a selfie with the singer to social media.

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is set to deliver an all-Spanish halftime performance at Levi’s Stadium during Super Bowl LX, marking one of the most prominent Spanish-language showcases in the event’s history.

The appearance follows a landmark year for the Puerto Rican artist, who recently won Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammy Awards, becoming the first artist to claim the prize with a Spanish-language album.

Speaking earlier this week to  Access Hollywood’s Scott Evans about his approach to the halftime show, Bad Bunny said, “I just want to be there. I’m just ready to do it. I want to feel it. I want people to watch it and enjoy it.”

The designation of “Bad Bunny Day” also arrives amid heightened political attention around the halftime performance. In recent public remarks, Bad Bunny has spoken out on immigration and identity, including a statement delivered at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, where he said, “ICE out… We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens — we are humans, and we are Americans.”

Apple Music, which has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show since 2023, continues its partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation, the Jay-Z-founded company responsible for selecting halftime performers. The collaboration has emphasized global and multicultural reach in recent years, with Bad Bunny’s selection reflecting the NFL’s expanding Spanish-language audience.

Super Bowl LX kicks off Sunday, Feb. 8, at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT. The game and halftime show will air on NBC, stream on Peacock, and be available via Spanish-language broadcasts on Telemundo and Universo.

Amid Rock the Country’s lineup disruptions this week — with artists including Shinedown, Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith making exits — the festival’s July 25-26 weekend in Anderson, S.C., is no longer on the schedule.

The South Carolina stop originally announced as part of an eight-city trek has been removed from Rock the Country’s website. Billboard reached out to a representative for Rock the Country for comment.

Anderson County administrator’s was informed of the event being called off on Feb. 5, reports the Greenville, S.C., publication The Post and Courier. No specific reason for the cancellation was stated.

As of Saturday (Feb. 7), the tour’s seven other stops remain on its schedule: Bellville, Texas (May 1-2); Bloomingdale, Ga. (May 29-30); Sioux Falls, S.D. (June 27-28); Ashland, Ky. (July 10-11); Hastings, Mich. (Aug. 8-9); Ocala, Fla. (Aug. 28-29) and Hamburg, N.Y. (Sept. 11-12).

Rock the Country’s lineup varies by date, with Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley, Lynyrd Skynrd, Jon Pardi, Brantley Gilbert and dozens more artists set to perform throughout the tour.

Shinedown, who pulled out of the festival on Feb. 6, was one of the acts booked to perform at the South Carolina dates. The band opted to drop out after receiving backlash from fans for participating in the festival.

While event organizers have not explicitly stated any political affiliation, headlining performers Aldean and Kid Rock have both been vocal supporters of President Donald Trump. Kid Rock and Brantley Gilbert are appearing at Turning Point USA’s upcoming “All-American” alternative halftime show, set to broadcast opposite the NFL’s official Super Bowl Halftime Show starring Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, whose Debí Tirar Más Fotos was recently the first all-Spanish album to win album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience. Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country festival,” Shinedown said in a statement posted on its social media pages on Feb. 6.

The group stated, “We know this decision will create differences of opinion. But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

The Bay Area filled up with celebrities from every industry for the 2026 Super Bowl, set to take place at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday (Feb. 8) — and music stars were not the exception. 

As spectators gear up for the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks game that includes a historic headlining Super Bowl halftime show by Bad Bunny, many parties took place across San Francisco leading up to the big event. 

Billboard was present at many invite-only events, including the FanDuel Party Powered by Spotify that featured two rocking performances by Counting Crows and Green Day. The latter — formed by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool — is set to kick off this year’s Super Bowl opening ceremony with “their most iconic rock anthems,” the NFL previously announced. genr

Meanwhile, Apple Music, which is presenting the halftime show this year, kicked off the weekend with a celebration at Apple Union Square that included special guests such as J Balvin, Becky G, Diplo, Travis Scott and Luis Fonsi, as well as a set by Bad Bunny’s official touring deejay, DJ Orma.

“I just want people to have fun,” Bad Bunny said during a press conference ahead of his big show on Sunday. “It’s going to be a huge party, what people can always expect from me,” he noted. “Of course, a lot of my culture. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s going to be fun! I know I said people have four months to learn Spanish, but no, just come ready to dance.”

Below, check out photos from this year’s Super Bowl parties.