Possessed Singer Jeff Becerra Honors Late Guitarist Brian Montana

Last week, Loudwire reported that Brian Montana (original guitarist for classic death metal act Possessed) was killed during a police shootout. In his newly posted tribute to the late musician, Montana’s former bandmate – longtime Possessed vocalist Jeff Becerra – says that he’s “deeply saddened” by the loss.

What Becerra Wrote

This past Friday (May 2), the official Possessed Instagram account  – handled by  Becerra  – posted a lengthy tribute to Montana. Becerra begins, “I just feel like people should know that Brian Montana was a very nice guy,” adding:

He was jovial and a gentleman. He was into martial arts and he was an excellent guitar player. Brian was always cracking jokes and he was a good person. Although we weren’t in touch often and more than a phone call here and there. The Brian I know is from when we were still just kids back in the beginning of Possessed. He was nothing like what I’m seeing being written about him. In fact, I think that’s one of the reasons that led to him leaving Possessed. He just wasn’t willing to be as dark as we wanted him to be at that time. We were going for that evil imagery, and Brian was just so lighthearted, even goofy in a good way. He was obviously going through some struggles and I think this is the time to be respectful towards the Montana family and friends as this is a tragic time for them. I’m sure there’s a lot more to this story but that would be up to Brian‘s family to tell or not to tell. I know that I still feel this is a great loss and I’m deeply saddened.

You can see his post below:

Although there are no comments on that tribute, there are several replies to Becerra’s May 2 post on Possessed’s X account (in which he uploaded several images of Montana while commenting: “Rest In Peace Brian #possessed”).

For instance, someone wrote, “Rest in power!” while another fan responded: “What a legend rip Brian.”

You can see those replies – and more – below:

Plus, Blabbermouth mentioned that “Possessed shared a comment about the shooting via the band’s Instagram Story early Friday, May 2, writing, ‘Very tragic news. Our sympathies to the Montana family and friends’ above an image of a news article.”

READ MORE: 31 Essential Rock + Metal Albums Turning 40 in 2025

 More About Montana’s Death + History With Possessed

Per The Daily Journal, the shooting took place on April 28 and resulted from Montana being “involved in a dispute with his neighbor in South San Francisco.” As Loudwire wrote on May 1: “Authorities said it started because Montana was bothered by the neighbor’s tree branches and leaves falling in his yard.”

Loudwire continued:

The police were dispatched when they received reports that Montana threatened his neighbor with a gun. By the time they arrived the situation had escalated, and Montana was firing multiple guns at the neighbor’s home, prompting them to call for backup.

Montana then fired at the police from his driveway, seeking cover between vehicles and landscaping, but was ultimately shot dead on the scene. He was 60 years old. The neighbor was taken to the hospital after sustaining a graze wound during the shootout.

“On the shooter’s side, there was some alcohol involved,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. “His death is a tragedy, but it’s fortunate that nobody else wasn’t hit or injured more seriously.”

Montana’s identity was revealed by authorities the following day.

You can read more about the shooting via the South San Francisco Police Department’s press release.

As fans of Possessed likely know, Montana joined the death metal troupe in 1983, only to leave the following year (after the band recorded the Death Metal demo and got “Swing of the Axe” on Metal Blade Records’ Metal Massacre VI compilation). Montana left due to creative differences and was replaced by Larry LaLonde (formerly of Blizzard and currently in Primus).

During an interview with Voices From the Darkside, Montana explained:

After I joined the band, yes, we hung out together a lot. I was the original guitarist besides [Mike] Torrao, so when I joined we were still just a garage band; didn’t even have our first gig yet. After we started playing the clubs, we bonded more and had a lot more fun with it. . . . I left the band because Torrao had a terrible attitude problem and wouldn’t stop ragging at me. He was like some senile old lady that just wouldn’t shut up. He had a problem with my image. He didn’t think I was evil enough or something. He was always ragging on me to wear an upside down crucifix and be satanic.