Smash Bandits drummer Richard Grey Liston, 28, dies after fall from Mount Olympus in poor conditions

Richard 'Grey' Liston fell early Saturday morning while climbing the eastern face of Mt Olympus with one other hiker



Other climbers including a paramedic went to his aid but found he was dead



The cause of the fall is still unknown; snowy conditions made the evacuation of his body 'complicated' according to press reports



The drummer and founder of popular ska band the Smash Bandits has died after a fall in a Washington mountain range.

Richard Grey Liston, 28, of Portland, Oregan, fell while climbing on Saturday morning on Mount Olympus - the highest peak in the Olympic National Park.

Despite immediate rescue attempts by other climbers, including a paramedic, the drummer was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Peninsula Daily News .

The founder and drummer of U.S. ska-punk band the Smash Bandits has died after a fall while climbing in Washington's Olympic Park mountain range

The news site said he landed among rocks and glacier ice.

The fall happened at around 7.45am on Saturday, on the eastern face of the Mount Olympus - the highest and most prominent peak in the range, reaching 7,980 feet.

His body was recovered by Mountain Rangers and airlifted off at about 8pm, according to the news site; the operation was 'complicated' by snow it said.

The cause of the fall was still unknown, according to Barb Maynes, spokeswoman for Olympic National Park, quoted in oreganlive.com .

Richard 'Grey' Liston pictured on a climbing trip, was described on his band's Facebook page as an 'absolute inspiration'

According to the band's Facebook page, Grey 'gave his life to something he loved to do, and that's just the kind of guy Grey was'

News of the 28-year-old's death has shocked fans of the popular seven-piece ska-punk band.

A post on the band's Facebook page pays respect to Grey Liston, who is described as an 'absolute inspiration'.

Posted together with a picture of Grey drumming, the message says: 'He gave his life to something he loved to do, and that's just the kind of guy Grey was.'

It goes on to say that he started the band over a year ago, despite people questioning what ska music was.

Richard, pictured in a video posted on the band's website, was the founder and drummer of the ska-punk band the Smash Bandits

Tributes have been flooding into the Facebook page of the seven-piece band, since they announced the death of their drummer

The band applauded 'Grey's' determination to set up a ska-punk group: 'You knew what kind of band you wanted to be a part of, and you did everything in your power to make that happen,' a Facebook post says

'You knew what kind of band you wanted to be a part of, and you did everything in your power to make that happen, just like everything else in your life.

'When you wanted something, you gave your life to making it happen. And you wouldn't stop until it became so,' the Facebook message says.

Mount Olympus in Olympic National Park, Washington (pictured), is the highest peak in the range, reaching 7,980 feet

The mountain range lies in the north west corner of Washington state

The post is followed by scores of replies from fans sharing their condolences and sadness.