Flea recently opened up about the loss of Hillel Slovak, the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist who died from a heroin overdose on June 25, 1988, at just 26 years old. In a heartfelt moment, Flea shared, “It was devastating. Just unbelievable. When it happened, I was so shocked I just fell on the floor, gasping for air.”
As a tribute to his late friend, Flea is set to release his first solo album, *Honora*, on March 27 through Nonesuch Records. The album features his bass and trumpet performances, including covers of Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” and Funkadelic’s classic tracks.
Hillel was one of the founding members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, starting the band in 1982 alongside Flea, vocalist Anthony Kiedis, and drummer Jack Irons. Born in Haifa, Israel, he moved to Los Angeles and met his bandmates at Fairfax High School. Flea recalled, “He was the one who asked me to start playing the bass. I would never have played bass without him, and without him, I would never have been in a rock band. He taught me so much.”
Flea reminisced about their first meeting at 16. “He had a stereo in the car and was smoking weed, listening to [Led] Zeppelin. He gave us a ride and showed me Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and the Gang of Four.” Slovak played on two studio albums with the band, *Freaky Styley* in 1985 and *The Uplift Mofo Party Plan* in 1987, which was his last recording.
*Honora* will feature guest appearances from Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Nick Cave. Fans can check out the track listing and purchase the album on the website.
