Joshua Nassaru Ward — drummer for the rising North Carolina death metal band Voraath — was killed along with three others by a drunk driver on New Year’s Eve.
The tragic incident took place in Greenville, South Carolina, just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday night (December 31st). The 37-year-old Ward, his fiancee Zelena, and two others were pulling out a driveway in a Subaru SUV when they were struck by a 2012 BMW driven by 31-year-old Nicholas Shane Meeks.
The crash sent the Subaru off the road and into a tree, killing all four occupants of Ward’s vehicle. Meeks was detained and charged on four counts of felony DUI. He is being held without bond.
According to Greenville News, Meeks had been driving with a suspended license, having been booked on DUI charges for a separate incident in March 2024.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Ward, with more than $16,000 raised as of this posting.
After introducing themselves with a series of singles from 2021 through 2023, Voraath released their debut full-length album, Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters, in June 2024. The band had celebrated its accomplishments just hours before the crash, noting their recent recognition in a Facebook post earlier on New Year’s Eve.
Ward himself posted a photo of himself and his young son on Facebook that day, wishing everyone a happy new year. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and bandmates, as well as to the families and friends of the other victims, during this difficult time.
A video of Ward performing a drum playthrough can be seen below, along with a news report on the tragic car crash.