Fred Cole, the punk legend best known for his tenure as the frontman for Portland's Dead Moon and Pierced Arrows, has died. He was 69.
Kathleen "Toody" Cole, his wife and frequent collaborator, announced the news on Facebook Friday. In a post on the Pierced Arrows page, Toody Cole said Fred had succumbed to cancer. He died in his sleep Thursday night.
Fred Cole is best known for his work with the punk bands he co-founded with Toody, but also for an independent record label the couple ran from their home in Clackamas, Tombstone Records. Last month, City Hall declared Oct. 5 Dead Moon Night in the band's honor.
Fred Cole was born in Tacoma in 1948 and later moved to Las Vegas with his mother. He played in several bands during his time there, skipping town to avoid the Vietnam draft in 1966, according to The Seattle Times.
It was on the way to Canada that Fred Cole's car broken down. He met Toody and the two were married in 1967.
After years of playing with male bassists, Fred recruited his wife for a new project, The Rats, in 1980. When Andrew Loomis joined on the drums in 1986, the outfit re-branded as Dead Moon.
From 1988 to 2004, the band recorded 10 studio albums and put out 11 singles.
One of the band's first mentions in The Oregonian came shortly after the release of their first album. Loomis and the Coles played the Mayors Ball, taking the stage at 6 p.m. as the first of 11 acts to play that night.
From there, Dead Moon became a mainstay of Portland's gritty punk scene, headlining the legendary Satyricon on several occasions. They even played the Crystal Ballroom's 100th anniversary show in 2014.
Dead Moon never produced any chart-toppers — not that they would've wanted them, anyway — but so well-regarded was the band in the underground scene and in Europe that a two-disc tribute album featuring acts from across the Northwest and places as far off as Munich, Copenhagen and Auckland was recorded in 2000. As The Oregonian reported back then, 40 bands entered the studio for the compilation.
The band's following was a central focus of Cole's when he penned a farewell note upon dissolving the outfit in 2006.
"It's been a journey we will always treasure and feel that a worldwide family has emerged in its place," he wrote.
Soon afterward, Fred and Toody recruited a new drummer, Kelly Halliburton, to form Pierced Arrows. The band called it quits in 2016 when Loomis died.
The Coles continued to perform acoustically despite Fred's health problems.
In 2014, he underwent open heart surgery. One year later, he collapsed during a performance at Bumbershoot. To those who followed Fred Cole's career, his persistence is anything but a surprise.
"I've been playing rock for 35 years and I've found that it's a life, not a get-rich-quick scheme," Fred Cole said at the time. "If I'm still around, I'll be playing when I'm 100."
Fred Cole is survived by his wife and two sons, Weeden and Shane; a daughter, Amanda; and seven grandchildren.
--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344
ecampuzano@oregonian.com