Vision has thrashed in New Jersey since 1987
Dave Franklin, singer for the enduring New Jersey hardcore punk band Vision, has died, a bandmate confirmed. He was 47.
Franklin died Thursday afternoon, his cause of death unknown, and leaves behind a legacy as frontman of one of the most significant, genre-bending local punk bands to ever thrash through Central New Jersey.
Vision, originally of Bridgewater, has been a mainstay in the state's close-knit hardcore community -- typically abbreviated as NJHC -- since 1987, performing semi-regularly around the globe and as recently as November.
The band, led by the gregarious Franklin -- "he took the anger out of punk" longtime friend Thomas Lucien said Friday -- played the famed CBGB rock club in New York, as well as Trenton's City Gardens, a mecca for heavy music in the '80s and early '90s.
"He made the best of every moment," Lucien said. "Being around (Franklin) you were guaranteed to laugh and just have fun, the vibe he gave that infected us all. He sang songs of positive attitude and making your life the best you can."
Franklin lived in Florida and was visiting family and friends in New Jersey when he passed away, inciting an outpouring of memories and grief on social media.
"He was kind of the larger than life," Vision guitarist Peter Tabbot told NJ.com. "He was the presence and soul of the band, he had a magnetic personality. His friends are heartbroken."
Prominent hardcore bands, including New York's Sick Of It All and Agnostic Front, paid respects online as well.
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.