A sign, flowers, and a Tim Cronin trading card in the vestibule of Jack’s Music Shoppe, where he worked for years. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Tim Cronin, who achieved local legend status as the affable face behind the counter at Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank and global cult hero notoriety as a founding member of the band Monster Magnet, has died.
Tim Cronin in a photo by photographer Sara Stadtmiller.
Cronin, 63, was diagnosed earlier this year with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Cronin was the longtime lead singer of the band Ribeye Brothers, and founding member and subsequent longtime crew member of the band Monster Magnet, who boast a worldwide following and as pioneers of the genre “stoner rock” or “space rock.”
But to Red Bank locals, he was the amiable big dude behind the counter at Jack’s Music Shoppe, where he could be seen going through stacks of old vinyl headed for the used records bin and cracking jokes on most given days over the past 30-plus years.
Flowers in the doorway (and, below, a Tim Cronin trading card on the door) of Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank. (photo by Brian Donohue)
“Words cannot describe what Tim meant to every single person who has ever met him,” reads a post on the Jack’s Music Shoppe Instagram page.
“His kindness, empathy and concern for the people around him is unparalleled. His presence and energy will live on forever. If you wanted to know what life was all about, you’d stop by and have a chat with Tim. They were always the best conversations.”
Cronin appeared at a benefit for him and his family in Long Branch two weeks ago, where bands covered Ribeye Brothers songs and an estimated 1,000 people gathered to celebrate his life and art.
A longtime New York Mets fan, Cronin had joked about the misfortune of being stricken with a disease whose most famous victim was a player for the hated Yankees. 
But at the benefit in Long Branch, Cronin ripped a page straight from the playbook of the ballplayer known for his graceful farewell.
A friend held a mic to a small speaker which played a recording of Cronin’s voice reciting lines from Gehrig’s famous retirement speech, including the line, “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
A GoFundMe page set up by his stepdaugther Maggie Chesek to assist Cronin and his wife Carrie Windorf with medical and other expenses remains up and running.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
