From The Press-Enterprise:
With his Flying V guitar and always-present mustache, William “Bill” Bartell, better known as Pat Fear, made his mark on music in the Inland Empire and beyond.
Bartell founded White Flag in the early 1980s in Sunnymead, before the area became incorporporated as part of Moreno Valley.
White Flag took the ideals of the burgeoning Los Angeles punk scene and turned them upside down in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
The singer and guitarist was found dead in his Moreno Valley home Monday, Sept. 24. The initial report from the Riverside County coroner’s office said the death was due to natural causes, but that results of the standard toxicology tests are pending.
Friends said Bartell had been struggling with declining health.
White Flag released the debut LP “S is for Space” in 1982 and put out more than 20 other releases over the years.
• White Flag: http://www.bandtoband.com/band/white-flag