ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte says that guitarist Oliver “Oli” Herbert’s widow is a “garbage human being” who was “never allowed” to join the band on tour.
ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte says that guitarist Oliver “Oli” Herbert‘s widow is a “garbage human being” who was “never allowed” to join the band on tour.
Oli was found dead last October 16 at the edge of the pond on his Stafford Springs, Connecticut property. He was reported missing by his wife about 3 p.m., and his body was found by police face down at the edge of the pond where the water was only a few inches deep.
The Connecticut State Police Eastern District Crime Squad is investigating Herbert‘s death, which is being treated as suspicious. They are looking at the a will he signed a week before his death as well as a life insurance policy mentioned in the will.
The will names Elizabeth Herbert as executor and sole benefactor. It says that Oliver Herbert‘s sister, Cynthia Herbert, should not become executor or receive anything from his estate. The will also states that Elizabeth Herbert should get all “property as well as any current or future earnings.”
During an appearance on the “Rover’s Morning Glory” radio show, Labonte declined to speculate about how Olidied, but made it clear that he didn’t have a high opinion of the guitarist’s wife.
“I think when it comes to the circumstances surrounding Oli‘s death, the best thing for me to say is there’s not a lot I can say ’cause there is an investigation ongoing,” Phil said.
Asked by host Shane French if Herbert was a heavy drinker, Labonte said: “No one in the band really does drugs. We’ve got some pot smokers and we’ve got some people that drink… He was never into drugs. He loved playing guitar. Our drummer is the big drinker in the band. Our drummer used to be, like, ‘Oli, c’mon! Do shots.’ And Oli would be, like, ‘Shots are for adolescents.’ [Laughs] He would have mixed drinks or whatever, he liked good beers, but he wasn’t into the drinking and stuff. He would have some drinks, but I don’t ever recall Oli… In 20 years, I think I saw him hung over two or three times. He just wasn’t into it. It wasn’t his deal. He loved playing guitar.”
After Shane admitted that when he first heard about Oli‘s passing, he assumed, because of the cliché rock-star lifestyle, that drugs were involved, Labonte said: “Oli Herbert did not do the types of drugs that you would assosiate with an overdose — period. I never saw him do any of the drugs that you would associate with someone that overdoses and dies.”
Labonte went on to say that Elizabeth Herbert “was never allowed to be on tour” with ALL THAT REMAINS. “She would come to the local shows, because we couldn’t stop her from showing up,” he explained. “Everyone else in the band — wives, girlfriends, whatever — they would come out on tour, stay for a couple of days, stay for a week. Everybody got along.”
Asked why she wasn’t allowed to join her husband on the road, Labonte said: “We made the decision, and she wasn’t allowed because she’s a garbage human being.”
According to the singer, he tried unsuccessfully to convince Oli to get a divorce for a long time. “I can’t tell you exactly why he wouldn’t do it or what the circumstances [were] surrounding his resistance,” he said. “I don’t know. But I can say that I personally talked to him multiple times and said, ‘Look, if you need a place to stay, I’ve got plenty of room. Come to my house.”
Before moving on, the hosts asked Phil if he had an opinion on how Oli died. The singer responded: “I do have an opinion on it, but I’m not gonna say. There is an ongoing investigation by the Connecticut state police.”
Some fans have espoused various theories surrounding Oli‘s death and a Facebook page, Justice For Oli Herbert, has more than 12,000 followers.
Herbert began playing guitar at 14. He co-founded ALL THAT REMAINS with Labonte in 1998.
ALL THAT REMAINS has released nine studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and has sold more than one million records worldwide. The band’s new LP, “Victim Of The New Disease”, arrived in November.
The surviving members of ALL THAT REMAINS — Labonte, Mike Martin (guitar), Jason Costa (drums) and Aaron Patrick (bass, backing vocals) — have recruited guitar virtuoso and YouTubepersonality Jason Richardson (ALL SHALL PERISH, CHELSEA GRIN, BORN OF OSIRIS) to replace Herbert.
