Rock Guitarist J. Geils Found Dead in Groton Home

GROTON, MA — Police in Groton are investigating the death of a well-known musician who was found unresponsive in his home this afternoon, according to police. John Warren Geils Jr., better known as J. Geils, was the founder and guitarist for the J. Geils Band. He was 71.

Police were sent to his home on Graniteville Road for a well-being check at around 4 p.m. on April 11, 2017.

“Upon arrival to the house, police located a man who was unresponsive,” according to Chief Donald Palma of the Groton Police Department. “He was declared dead at the scene.

Foul play is not suspected at this time in the death but it is being investigated by Groton Police, “as is standard procedure in all unattended deaths,” Palma noted. The preliminary presumption is that Geils died of natural causes, according to a press statement.

Geils was founder and guitarist of the central Massachusetts band in the late 1960s that went from blues bar rock band to superstars in the mid-1970s with hits such as “Lookin’ for a Love” and “Must of Got Lost.” Both live albums – “Live” Full House and “Blow Your Face Out” – are considered timeless rock-blues classics that captured the band at the height of their craziest.

In 1980, the band scored a slew of Hot 100 Billboard singles including “Freeze-Frame,” “Love Stinks,” and “Centerfold,” and were staples on MTV. The band later became mired in personnel issues with singer Peter Wolf pursuing a not very successful solo career and the best no so successfully continuing without him. Harmonic player Magic Dick and keyboardist Seth Justman also created side projects.

The band, however, remained friends and often gathered for reunion performances, including benefit concerts like the 2013 Boston Strong event, held in the wake of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack.

J. Geils officially left the band in 2012. He was arrested for drunk driving in Concord, MA, in 2016, after reportedly rear-ending another vehicle.

Caption: J Geils Of The J Geils Band at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago Illinois, April 11, 1980. Credit: by Paul Natkin/Getty Images