Who is Leonard Hubbard's wife? Stephanie says ex-Roots bassist, 62, died 'quick' death
Popular bassist Leonard Hubbard, also known as 'Hub', died on Thursday, December 16, aged 62. Hubbard, who played with Philadelphia hip-hop band 'The Roots' for 15 years, died at Lankenau Hospital. The cause of his death was multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, which he was first diagnosed with in 2007. Hubbard’s step-daughter India Owens said that he had been in remission until last month.
Hubbard joined 'The Roots' back in 1992 when the group was called 'Square Roots'. He left the group in 2007, before which he played on every one of the band’s albums. “Music is all about what you’re exposed to, and I’ve been exposed to many different things,” Hubbard had told Bass Player in 2003.
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“If you want to play Hip-Hop bass, you have to own a beat machine, you have to know the metronome, and you need some sense of rhythm and timing. But here’s the main thing: You have to listen to yourself play. Record yourself playing a bass line for five minutes. If you can play something fast, then try playing it slow, melodically and groovin’, and make it sound just as good as it did when you played it fast," he had said.
Hubbard recorded as many as seven albums with the Roots. He reunited with the group twice, a year after he stopped touring, including for a performance at the 2008 Roots Picnic.
Who is Stephanie Hubbard?
Hubbard was married to Stephanie Hubbard, who confirmed that her husband's health unexpectedly deteriorated before he died. "I was called to the hospital. They told me what had happened that he had passed. I went to the hospital and was able to sit with him," Stephanie said. “It happened quickly. He didn’t suffer a lot," she told Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s ABC 6.
Stephanie said that she took Hubbard to the hospital on Wednesday night, December 15, but was not allowed to stay with him due to Covid. She claimed that just the day before, her husband was mobile and energetic.
Stephanie said that Hubbard had finished a composition called 'The Awakening' just last week. "When you hear his project, you'll see he was so much more than what people know," said Stephanie.
Hubbard had filed a lawsuit in 2016 against some members of 'The Roots', alleging that he was being paid less than the other members. Stephanie confirmed that the suit has not been settled yet.