It is with devastation and broken hearts that we share the news of Miles’ death on 2/17/21.

If you would like to make a donation to an organization dear to Miles’ heart, you can head to Food Not Bombs and the LA Tenants Union.

From Miles’ wife, Leanne: Miles died in a single-car crash on I-5 near Fresno on 2/17/21. We don’t yet have details on exactly what went wrong with the truck he was driving, but we know that he had recently taken it to a mechanic for some safety concerns with the tires. For the past few months, he’s been working & living on a farm in Oregon and he was driving from Medford to be with me in Los Angeles for the weekend. I spoke to him about 90 minutes before the accident and he was full of joy and excitement, windows down, listening to reggae, filled with ideas about how we could spend the coming days. He was about to get off of the highway and check into a motel for the night. The last song that he sent me from the road, so that I could listen to what he was listening to, was “Unfair” by Pavement.

His family and I are very grateful to hear from the many people who Miles touched in his too-short life. The list of those heartbroken by this loss goes on and on and on, because Miles spent every moment of his life trying to connect with people from a place of real, deep love. As an artist, a poet, and a musician, he left an imprint on so many. As a friend, even more.

To all who loved and were loved by Miles, every part of this feels unbelievable and unjust and unreal. That he loved so many, so deeply; that he had overcome so much in life and was still so full of generosity and joy; that he generously gave so much to so many; that he was so thrilled to be embarking on a new phase of his life; that he so loved the old truck whose wheels came off and killed him...it's impossible to choose which is the most horrific part of this tragedy.

A few weeks ago, he wrote to me, "It's not a destination. It's a process, a dance. And it's so beautiful. We're in it, have been in it, will be in it, and I'm reveling in all the texture and nuance and harmony of our unique song.” This was how he existed: wholly inside-of and in-celebration-of the complex, rich, love-fueled, temporary experience of being human.

In the days since his death, his family and friends have constantly shared the lessons that Miles left us with: to be present in the process rather than obsess over the product; to break your heart open and connect deeply with everyone you can; to see that it is never “either/or” but always “both/and.” The nightmarish reality that someone who so generously taught us all how to really live is now dead can't be put into words. We plan to celebrate Miles and honor the imprint he made on all of us in as many ways as possible. Details about such celebrations will be shared soon. His family and I deeply appreciate all of the memories, reflections and kind words being shared by all who he touched.