Country rocker Marc Trovillion has died after suffering a fatal heart attack at the age of 56.

The ex-Lambchop bassist passed away last week (09Oct13) at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Trovillion co-founded the band in 1987 and performed on all of the group's early recordings until he decided to quit following the release of 2002's Is a Woman.

He also served as a songwriter for the group, penning tunes like The Theme from the Neil Miller Show and I Sucked My Boss's D**k.

His former Lambchop bandmate Jonathan Marx has paid a touching tribute to Trovillion, insisting his spirit will live on in the group.

A statement released to NashvilleScene.com reads in part: "No matter where Lambchop might have been... Marc's steady, solid bass playing and his innate sense of humor served as the glue that kept Lambchop together...

"Listen to any Lambchop recording up through Is a Woman, and that's not just Marc's bass playing you hear - all around the notes, you're hearing his freewheeling spirit, his love of music, food, drink and people. Though Lambchop eventually swelled to include more than a dozen members, and though Marc himself stopped playing regularly with the band after he relocated to Chattanooga a decade ago, that spirit has always remained a guiding force - and it will continue to as long as Lambchop is a band... He will be dearly missed."