I know it's a horrible thing to just put into a subject like that, but I don't know how else I could possibly say...I have no idea what to do.

My father was a local icon here in Southern California, a celebrity in the area, as well as in Chicago...his hundreds of musician friends are going to be throwing a benefit to, in the words of any musician, "Blow out Tom!" - a huge blow out to say goodbye.

One of his best friends posted something beautiful, along with a picture - Click Here For The Post.

He's everywhere in this house - I don't know which way to look. The entire place was laid out for his comfort, even before he was sick, because he was...well, he was the loudest, and the easiest to piss off.

He was a self-proclaimed asshole and that Dennis Leary song was one of his favorites...but I loved him deeply, and I don't honestly have a clue what I'm going to do now.

He was out gigging about three months ago, before he started getting sick - his last performance was in April, the 14th - his 58th birthday.

The photos of Tom Stein are starting to flood in on Facebook - if you have an account and are logged in, you can see them in the Gallery.

I just redid my sub, but honestly, I don't know that any art right now will come out any good. I love you all and I'm sorry for my absence...but I've been dealing with his illness. And now I'm dealing with his death.

On a last note, when Greg Vail and Diana D'Itri were trying to drum up donations for us to help offset the hospital bills, she posted a video of my father playing in 1990, at a defunct, but iconic place called The Cafe Lido. He couldn't solo for shit - but he always made a valiant effort.

DA won't let me embed, so here's a link:

Tom Stein Cafe Lido