PLACENTIA, Calif. - A former bassist for the punk rock group Social Distortion was struck and killed by a big rig while riding a bicycle, authorities said.

Brent Liles, 43, of Fullerton died Jan. 18 as he entered a crosswalk on his bike, said Jennifer Hink of the California Highway Patrol. The truck's driver, Javier Lopez, turned onto an onramp and accelerated, striking Liles, authorities said Wednesday.

"He was not accelerating to hit the bicyclist, he was accelerating to get to the onramp," said Hink, who confirmed Liles played for Social Distortion.

Lopez, 35, of Rancho Cucamonga, was not cited, but the crash is still being investigated.

Liles joined Social Distortion in 1981 and played bass on the band's groundbreaking "Mommy's Little Monster" recording two years later. The album brought the group widespread acclaim and helped establish Social Distortion as one of the top punk rock acts in the nation.

But Liles and drummer Derek O'Brien quit the band during a New Year's Eve performance in 1983 because they were fed up with the group's internal turmoil.

Liles went on to play with other punk groups such as Agent Orange.

"Brent was a fun-loving guy who approached his bass playing with a lot of enthusiasm and that made him a lot of fun to be around," said Frank Agnew, a fellow musician and friend.


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