addict for a number of years. In 2007, Peterson said he believed LSD and other similar drugs can have positive effects, but that he and other members of Blue Cheer "took it over the top." He had ceased much of his drug use by the mid-1970s, and stopped drinking 10 years before his death. Blue Cheer has been considered a pioneering band in many genres. Peterson did not consider that the band belonged to any particular genre: "People keep trying to say that we’re heavy metal or grunge or punk, or we’re this or that. The reality is, we’re just a power trio, and we play ultra blues, and it’s rock ‘n roll. It’s really simple what we do." On October 12, 2009, Peterson died in Erkelenz, Germany, at the age of 63 from liver cancer, after prostate cancer spread throughout his body. He was survived by his second wife, his former wife, a daughter from his first marriage, and a six-year-old grandson. Peterson was cremated and his ashes given to his daughter, Corrina. Peterson wished his ashes to be spread in the Rhine River in Germany and in the Redwoods of Northern California, at a site to be determined by his daughter. Neil Peart, the drummer for Rush, said in tribute to Peterson: Discography 1998: Child of the Darkness Captain Trip Records; released only in Japan 1999: Tramp Captain Trip Records; released only in Japan References External links Dickie Peterson Video Interview with Serene Dominic 1946 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American singers American rock bass guitarists American rock singers Blue Cheer members Deaths from cancer in Germany Deaths from liver cancer Singers from North Dakota People from Grand Forks, North Dakota Guitarists from North Dakota American male bass guitarists 20th-century American male singers