Marshall Tucker Guitarist Stuart Swanlund Dead at 54

Musician joined second incarnation of band in the Eighties

August 9, 2012 10:00 AM ET

Stuart Swanlund of the Marshall Tucker Band performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.

Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Marshall Tucker Band guitarist Stuart Swanlund died in his sleep at home in Chicago August 4th, The Associated Press reports. He was 54.

Swanlund, a South Carolina native, had recently taken a hiatus from the band to deal with unspecified health issues.

The Marshall Tucker Band scored their biggest hit in 1977 with "Heard It in A Love Song." Swanlund, the longest running band member besides co-founder Doug Gray, joined the group for its second incarnation following the band's dissolution in 1983 and reformation in 1985.

Swanlund's funeral is set for August 11th in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.

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Marshall Tucker Guitarist Stuart Swanlund Dead at 54