๐ŸŽธRock Legend Shreds His Last: Journey Co-Founder George Tickner Takes the Stairway to Heaven at 76๐ŸŒ 

TL;DR;: ๐ŸŽตLadies and gentlemen, take a moment to tune your air guitars and pay respects! Journey co-founder and original guitarist, George Tickner, has played his final encore at the ripe age of 76. This rock legend, who swapped the stage for Stanford University, has now left the building, prompting an outpour of emotions and tributes from bandmates and fans alike.๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

Who’d have thought it would end this way? A rockstar, doctor-in-making, studio owner, George Tickner, was a true journeyman, no pun intended! Born in New York, Tickner started his rock journey with the San Francisco band, Frumious Bandersnatch, alongside bassist Ross Valory. In 1973, the duo created the iconic rock band Journey with Neal Schon and drummer Prairie Prince. After releasing their debut album in 1975, Tickner hung up his guitar to hit the books at Stanford University. Did I mention he was on full scholarship?๐ŸŽ“ ๐Ÿ“š

But could you ever keep a rockstar away from music? Nope! Post his Journey stint, Tickner established the Hive recording studio with Valory and dabbled with another band VTR, before releasing its sole album, “Cinema,” in 2005. ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ๐ŸŽน

The news of Tickner’s demise first echoed through a Facebook tribute post by bandmate Neal Schon. Schon, the lead guitarist, announced his friend’s passing with a heartfelt message, “George … thank you for the music. We will be paying tribute to you on this page indefinitely.” The cause of Tickner’s death is yet under wraps. It’s a heartrending loss for the world of music and all Journey members past and present. ๐Ÿ˜ข๐ŸŽธ

So here we are, scrolling down our feed, struck with a wave of nostalgia, and sharing a virtual group hug as Schon suggested. As we play Journey’s classics and air-guitar along, it’s only natural to ask, “Doesn’t this make you wish for more music from legends like Tickner?” ๐Ÿค”

Now, here’s a question for the road โ€“ or should we say, the ‘journey’? When life takes an unexpected turn, like Tickner’s swap of music for medicine, do you think it really changes the tune of your soul? Or perhaps, like in Tickner’s case, the music continues to play on in a different key? ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿ’ญ

Disclaimer: This story is not providing advice of any kind. It is purely informational and intended to be a tribute to the late musician George Tickner. Always seek professional advice for personal decisions.