Benjamin Curtis, guitarist for indie-pop duo School Of Seven Bells, died earlier this week after a battle with a rare form of lymphoma. He was 35 years old.

Born in Oklahoma, Curtis’ music career began in earnest as a member of the psych-rock outfit Tripping Daisy. In 2000, he and his brother formed the group Secret Machines, which released albums up until 2007, when School Of Seven Bells began. The band released three albums and won praise from the likes of Pitchfork and from Rolling Stone scribe David Fricke.

Curtis was diagnosed with the disease in February and had undergone an intense treatment program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center before his passing. The members of the band have asked that fans show respect for Cutris’ family and friends at this time, and his managers have set up an e-mail account through which fans can send consolatory messages: sviib[at]wizkidmanagment.com.