On September 22, 2026, East Bay Ray shared public confirmation that he has Parkinson's disease. Dead Kennedys management posted the news on Tuesday on the band's official Instagram account. East Bay Ray's legal name is Raymond John Pepperell. He was born in Oakland, California, on November 17, 1958, and is 67. The post did not say when doctors made the diagnosis or how advanced the illness is now.The management message stated:"Dead Kennedys management announced today that the band's guitarist and founding member, East Bay Ray, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease."It then added:"Ray says he plans to continue performing and touring with Dead Kennedys for as long as his health allows, and expresses his appreciation to everyone for their continued support." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostEast Bay Ray as founding guitarist of Dead KennedysPepperell started Dead Kennedys in San Francisco in 1978 by placing a classified ad. Jello Biafra joined first. Klaus Flouride came in next. Early players included drummer Ted and second guitarist 6025, who left in March 1979. Ted was gone by the close of 1980. D.H. Peligro took the drum seat in February 1981. East Bay Ray never left. The band's own site still lists East Bay Ray as the single musician present from the first lineup onward.His parts mixed surf figures, jazz phrasing, rockabilly snap, echo associated with 1960s spy scores, and open-string voicings. That mix sat next to Jello Biafra's lyrics on the 1979 single California Über Alles, the 1980 single Holiday in Cambodia, and the 1980 album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. Later studio records were In God We Trust, Inc., Plastic Surgery Disasters, Frankenchrist, and Bedtime for Democracy. The group stopped in 1986 and returned to the road in 2001 without Biafra. Skip Greer has sung with them since 2008. Steve Wilson now plays drums. Flouride remains on bass.Shows already booked after the announcement included Seattle on October 6, Portland on October 7, San Francisco on October 9 with Flipper and The Avengers, and Riverside on October 11. Nothing on those dates was canceled in the same post.Jello Biafra had a hemorrhagic stroke in March 2026. A note on his Facebook page dated May 2 said his speech had mostly returned, his thinking seemed intact, and his left-side weakness was lessening. Peligro died in October 2022 at 63. Pepperell and Biafra launched Alternative Tentacles in 1979. Pepperell has also recorded with The Killer Smiles and other outside projects.