Windsor musician Joel Bishop dead at 44

Joel Bishop has died at the age of 44, according to the Windsor-based band he was part of. (Joel Michael Bishop/Facebook, Source: Joel Boyce)

A Windsor-based musician is being remembered for his boundless creativity and positive spirit.

According to a statement from alternative rock band Ashes of Soma, bassist Joel Bishop — also known for his time as a chef in downtown Windsor — passed away on Aug. 3.

He was 44 years old.

Paul Doman, the band's drummer, said he met Bishop in 2000 and the two immediately connected over music.

"He was one of those guys that he could have been in your life for five minutes and he touched you in a certain way that you'll never forget," said Doman.

Doman and Bishop were so close that they share a tattoo. It's the only one Doman said he has ever gotten.

"I always cherished it. But it means even that much more to me now," said Doman.

Bishop was also a bassist for another Windsor-based band, Supermansion.

Joel Boyce, who met Bishop in 1997 while they were both attending Sandwich Secondary School, described him as so talented that people often wondered if there was anything he couldn't do.

"More than just a bass player, many people don't know that Bishop wrote a poem. It was the first poem he had ever written and he won an editor's choice award for it," said Boyce.

"Bishop also acted in a web series that I wrote and produced in Windsor."

In 2015, Bishop, far left, starred in a Windsor-based web series called Cooked. The series also starred Paul Doman, second from right, and was created and written by Joel Boyce.

Doman noted his best memory of Bishop was when the two saw Tool perform live at the Fox Theatre from the second row in 2006.

"Tool was his favourite band in the whole world. If they don't know that, they don't know Joel Bishop," said Doman.

"I'll never forget that feeling of just being there with him. I will always listen to that band and I will always try to see them live just because of him now."

For those who knew him outside the music scene, Boyce said the quality most people will remember about Bishop is how easy it was to have a conversation with him.

"He was the life of the party. He was a magnet for those deep conversations where people felt safe and comfortable with him," said Boyce.

Paul Doman and Joel Bishop shared this tattoo which reads "Ashes of Soma, Rhythm For Life." (Source: Paul Doman)

In Feb. 2020, Bishop underwent open-heart surgery after experiencing an aortic dissection.

At the time, Bishop had been working as a chef for The Dugout Sports Lounge. A GoFundMe set up to pay for some of his hospital expenses generated more than $10,000.

In the years following, Bishop shared updates about his recovery on social media, including his weight loss of more than 100 pounds.

"It just dawned on me that at this time, four years ago, I was in a hospital, slowly bleeding out," Bishop said in a post shared on Feb. 19, 2024.

"Life is too short. There is enough wickedness in the world that we don't need to add to it. To those of you that can see this, know that I love you all."