In Memory of Edward D. Oswald
(1956-2016)
In 2016, the AltWire family suffered one of its greatest losses in our relatively young history as an Alternative Music website.
Writer Ed Oswald (father of AltWire owner Derek Oswald), passed away very unexpectedly from cardiac arrest on Sunday, April 10th, 2016. In his sudden passing, he left behind a loving family and a massive circle of friends who knew him as an incredible man, and a person full of energy who held a strong passion for the life that he lived during his 59 years on this earth.
Known lovingly as “everyone’s slightly crazy uncle”, Ed provided many smiles, laughs, and memories in a way that only he could manage. There’s a popular saying about ‘breaking the mold’ when a certain unique person is created, and for Ed, there is no better description. Truly one of a kind, and highly enjoyable to be around, there is no imitation that will ever begin to come close to who Ed was when he was on this earth.
For those who have come to love AltWire’s honest reviews and in-depth interviews with bands, you may not know that Ed is one of the sole reasons AltWire is here today.
It was Ed’s frequent encouragement of Derek and belief that he could create something wonderful from his passion for music, that led to the launch of AltWire back in 2013 after 13 years of running an online fan community for the highly successful rock band Linkin Park.
If it had not been for Ed pushing Derek and sharing his belief that we could create a project that would ‘think differently’ than other music websites, we would not be here today. Ed is not only credited as a co-founder of AltWire but also as a huge integral part of AltWire’s founding and early success.
It is the memory of Ed’s wonderful spirit, and passion for AltWire, that will continue to fuel our desire to continue to grow in the years to come. We love you, Ed!
