Gabriel “The Gun” Gonzalez, the original trumpet player for the band No Doubt, died after a September 12 motorcycle accident in Hermosa Beach California. He was 57. A representative confirmed his death to SPIN.
Gonzalez was born on July 11, 1967. He was a first-generation Cuban American who first picked up the trumpet in his high school band. He attended Loara High School in Anaheim, California, along with Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric.
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Gonzalez co-wrote some of the band’s first songs back when No Doubt was under its original name, Apple Core. Most of those songs remain unreleased.
Some of his songs eventually made it onto the band’s second album, The Beacon Street Collection. He is credited with co-writing the third track of the album, “Total Hate 95” and has a co-writing credit on the song “Paulina” from the band’s debut self-titled album.
This is not the first member of No Doubt to pass away. Co-vocalist John Spence committed suicide at the age of 18 during the band’s formative years.
Gonzalez floated around the ska scene, providing his trumpet skills to various bands like Save Ferris, Kingston A Go-Go, The Skeletones. and The Untouchables. He is survived by his three children.
In what turned out to be one of his last Instagram posts, published on July 12, 2024, Gonzalez shared footage of No Doubt’s first televised performances.
