SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Wednesday was the day the music stopped in Memphis. Beloved local musician Blake Rhea was gunned down early in the morning outside a Midtown bar.
Some of those he taught at the School of Rock in the Bluff City are wondering how they’ll carry on the legacy he leaves behind.
“He was a phenomenal teacher. Every time I pick up a bass, it's him. It's his spirit,” said Llana Williams, a former pupil of Rhea’s who became a music teacher alongside him.
She said she’ll be working to leave a piece of Rhea in everyone she has in her own tutelage.
“I don’t have a single bad memory of him. Every time I think I interacted with him, we laughed, he would tell jokes. He would always give me advice,” she said.
It's a sentiment shared by many in the Memphis music scene. Tributes have poured in across social media for Rhea, who has been a stalwart of Memphis music for decades.
"He was just very, very passionate. And he wasn’t just passionate as a teacher - you could see it the way he talked to you and the way he played. It was terrible news when we found out, and I just feel so bad for his family,” said Jillian Acor, another music instructor who worked under Rhea at School of Rock in Memphis.
“One guy has changed the lives of hundreds and hundreds of people. He just wasn’t supposed to go this way,” Williams said.
Edward Wurl is in custody and charged with Rhea’s murder. He is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail without bond.
Social media tributes
Local musician Marcella Simien
Tierinii Naftaly (Southern Avenue)
Local musician Hope Clayburn
Writer’s Note: The original newscast mentioned a fight between Blake Rhea and the suspect. However, this information has been revised, as the incident involved a reported verbal altercation, not a physical fight.