Banjo Great Gabe Hirshfeld Passes Away at 36, Remembered by Bluegrass Contemporaries
Banjo prodigy Gabe Hirshfeld has passed away. The Berklee College of Music graduate, known for his co-founding of The Lonely Heartstrings Band, which released a successful series of records and toured nationally, while evoking the spirit of the great Earl Scruggs, succumbed to a long-term health issue stemming from an organ transplant the artist received earlier this year and, more recently, spine decompression. He was 36 years old.
News of the musician’s passing surfaced on social media, beginning with a post from banjo luthier Silvio Ferretti, who wrote: “A dear friend just called me to let me know that Gabe Hirshfeld passed away last night. I am at a loss for words.”
Previously, on April 16, 2025, Hirshfeld received a liver transplant. In a post, he acknowledged the procedure, “My surgery went well but I’ll still be in the hospital for another day or two. I’m exhausted and sore, but thankful that everything went well, and the new kidney seems to be functioning well.”
Hirshfeld continued, “The road to recovery is still a few more months, and I won’t be able to work or do much until around September, but I am so relieved to have the surgery done with so I can even be on this road!”
As recently as mid-December, Hirshfeld provided an update that acknowledged recovery from spine decompression, which began, “Home from the hospital.” Ferretti addressed the stay in the post’s comment section, writing, “Complications follow the intervention on his cervical tract.”
Then, on December 19, Hirshfeld returned to Facebook, providing details on his Loar-era Gibson A2Z mandolin, which he stated was on consignment at The Music Emporium in Lexington, Mass., calling it “A great old mandolin,” and continuing, “but after a kidney transplant and now recovering from this spine decompression I could really use the cash more than the mandolin.”
A renowned picker, admired by his bluegrass community, Hirshfeld was remembered on social media by his musical contemporaries, among them, Billy Strings, who wrote, “So sad to hear of that @gabe_hirshfeld has passed away. He was one of the best banjo players I ever heard and had the absolute best sense of humor in the world. Such a monster player. So humble and so so funny. He could always make you laugh. I was lucky enough to become friends with him back when he was ripping it up with the lonley heartstring band. I always looked up to him and enjoyed every chance we got to play music together. We had a lot of good times and he will always be remembered fondly. Rest in peace Gabe.”
Strings’ bandmate, Billy Failings, extended his own memories, writing in part, “I first met Gabe when I started at Berklee in 2011. I always love thinking back to a time early on that I could hear him through the wall in the next practice room over, rehearsing some complex scale pattern, apparently growing tired of having to practice it, and stopping mid-exercise to kick into Pike County Breakdown instead. He was always chasing the perfect banjo tone, and was always stoked to bring you along on the journey.”
Punch Brothers’ Noam Pikelny penned an extensive tribute, writing, “I loved Gabe’s banjo playing- he could turn on a dime and go seamlessly from progressive to traditional with equal command. And whatever he played, he always played with a beautiful tone and touch. Gabe was obsessed with vintage instruments and was one of few guys of his generation who understood the nitty gritty. He had an old world sensibility and he basked in the details. Oh the number of times Gabe talked me off the ledge and convinced me not to take my banjo apart on a hotel floor because of an impending barometric pressure system or other mania. Gabe treated people with decency and respect and truly understood the power of humor to disarm and get people to recognize the humanity of each other. I will miss him dearly. May his memory be a blessing.”
See the full tribute posts below.
