Ray Cabarga left us on July 4, 2025.

Ray suffered from muscular dystrophy and was wheelchair bound. In recent years his health was also complicated by congestive heart failure and a wound on his leg that simply wouldn’t heal – probably because of his compromised heart. Even while regaling us with his unique humor on a daily basis, he was frequently in a lot of pain. He ultimately opted for home hospice care, and, after only a few days, passed peacefully in his own bed.

“The Sky Is Not the Limit” — Ray Cabarga

Dear friends,

I’m writing to you with a heavy but steady heart. I want you to know that our friend and fellow artist Ray Cabarga has passed away. Ray had been struggling with serious health issues for some time, and while his death was not entirely unexpected, it still hits hard for all of us. He lived with a great deal of pain over the last few years, and now his soul is at rest.

Ray was part of the fabric of this group. He brought sensitivity, humor, intelligence, and a deep creative spirit into everything he touched. Through his work, his music, and his conversations, he reminded us that vulnerability and strength are not opposites — they often live side by side.

Ray played an important role in the creation of our book. His prose was brilliant, often skewering critics with sharp wit, yet always delivered with warmth and humor. He was a captivating storyteller, and his writing had a musical cadence — he believed words should flow the way music or poetry does. Reading his writing always felt like listening.

Many of you knew Ray personally. Others may have known him through his work or correspondence. However you encountered him, his presence mattered, and his absence will be felt. He was one of the funniest, smartest, and most genuinely positive people I’ve ever known.

Ray taught me so much about art — light, color, and composition. I even learned kerning from him while we were working on the book. One of his great joys was seeing us sell a stack of copies at our first show in Miami, where we somehow managed to get him two nights at Chris Blackwell’s apartment in South Beach Studio.

We wrote to each other often — sometimes every day — and his messages were always cerebral and hilarious. Ray was also a jazz trumpet player and a devoted listener of jazz piano recordings. He had an uncanny ability to recognize truly great performances and explain, in detail, exactly why they worked. And in true Ray fashion, he also built incredibly detailed paper airplanes — elegant constructions that seemed able to fly forever.

I didn’t want this news to arrive through rumor or silence. It felt important that you hear it directly, and with respect — for Ray, and for all of us who care about him.

In the days ahead, if you feel moved to share a memory, a thought, or a piece of work in Ray’s honor, that would be very much in his spirit. Please know there is no expectation. Grief takes its own shape for each of us.

Thank you for being part of a group that values not only the work, but the people behind it. I’ll be posting some of Ray’s incredibly detailed works on our pages for a while as a tribute.

Fly forever, Ray.
Jamie and The Gang

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