SLASH Comments On Mother's Passing

VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has issued the following statement:

"As some of you may already know, my mom [Ola Hudson] died 6:30 a.m. last Friday morning (June 5) of lung cancer. This is a difficult time, but I have to share with you that she was the sweetest, warmest, most loving human being I've ever known (next to my grandmother on her side),as well as one of the most creative and talented. She was also the coolest rock and roll mom a rock junkie like myself could ever possibly want to have. She was responsible for exposing me to a lot of the music that would influence me as a musician growing up as well as introducing me to 'the life' and priming me to survive this crazy business that I'm now in. But more importantly, she turned me on to all different forms of art and the importance of artistic self expression and creative communication through music and dance from as early on as I can remember. She really was all things artistic and creative personified and the world is a lesser place without her.

"I still haven't grasped fully that she is gone. This is going to take some time to process. But I have got a lot of really genuine condolences from many of you and I want to tell you that I appreciate it more than you can possibly know.

"My family and I thank you for your support."

According to Reuters, Hudson was a costume designer who made outfits for the likes of David Bowie, John Lennon and Ringo Starr.

Hudson died at Saint John's Health Center in the Los Angeles municipality of Santa Monica. She was 62. In addition to Slash, 43 — whose real name is Saul Hudson — she is survived by another son, graphic artist Albion "Ash" Hudson, 38, as well as her ex-husband, English artist Anthony Hudson.

Slash's mother dated Bowie after her marriage broke up in the mid-1970s. "I really didn't like him that much, because he was the new guy in the house," Slash said of Bowie in a 1990 interview with Rolling Stone magazine. "I was really resentful."