Members of Lotus have issued personal statements about the band’s percussionist, Chuck Morris, and his son, Charley Morris, who went missing on Thursday, March 16th while kayaking on Beaver Lake in Fayetteville, AR.
The Wednesday, March 22nd statements from Lotus bassist Jesse Miller, guitarist/keyboardist Luke Miller, and drummer Mike Greenfield follow a Tuesday afternoon message from the band stating that the search for Chuck and Charley Morris had shifted from a search-and-rescue mission to a recovery operation. “With help from the K9 team,” the band noted, “there is a probable location on the lake, but logistical challenges including temperature, weather, and depth have prevented a recovery thus far. It is unknown how long these efforts may take. While we are deeply grieving, we plan to celebrate Chuck and Charley’s lives, our memories with them, and what they meant to so many people.”
As Benton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Shannon Jenkins told CBS News Colorado on Tuesday, the recovery effort includes dive crews, boats, dogs, and more from several agencies. “We’re still out there,” she added. “We’ve been continuing our efforts over the last five days and unfortunately we haven’t located them yet.”
“This lake is a serious challenge to search but we’re doing everything we can,” Tony Wade, director of operations for Cajun Coast Search and Rescue added to CBS News Colorado on Tuesday. With Beaver Lake water temperatures over the past few days dipping into the 30s and 40s, he said, “You’d instantly go into shock. This is 100% a recovery.”
“We spent over 20 years in a band with Chuck,” wrote Jesse Miller. “We lived together for parts of that, traveled the country and across oceans, felt the joy of performing in front of thousands of fans and pains of sleeping on floors and trying to repair a broken trailer in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm. It was a journey, and it wouldn’t have been the same without Chuck bringing his unique mind, energy, spirit and smile to it.”
“Chuck was a beast on percussion and in life,” added Luke Miller. “He brought an energy every night that fed so many people’s souls. He joined Lotus back in a small Indiana town, Goshen. Our little group from the rural Midwest ventured out into the world to play music. If our touring van broke down, or if our shared band house needed to be fixed, Chuck was always the first to jump in on the work.”
Luke continued, “I was there when Jenny and Chuck brought Charley home from the hospital. And we saw him grow up to be an incredibly smart and talented young man. I traveled with Chuck to all the corners of the U.S., to Japan, Amsterdam, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and so many other places. He was always ready to have fun, make new friends, and play music. He brought a bright-eyed adventurous spirit wherever he went. Chuck was truly a one-of-one. He and Charley are incredibly dearly missed. Rest in Percussion / Rest in Power / Rest In Peace.”
“One of the highest achievements of a musician is to find your own voice on an instrument. Chuck’s distinct personality was so strong that it shined through in his musicianship, as it did in all elements of his life,” said Mike Greenfield. “I can easily say that Chuck was the most unique person I have ever met, and it was fascinating to witness how his dynamic energy created opportunities for him at every turn. As a percussionist, comedian, computer programmer, family man, repairer of anything that was broken, and of course as our beloved ‘wildcard’—no one did it quite like him.”
“Chuck was my drumming brother,” Greenfield added. “Over the past few days, I have been listening to a few recent shows when Chuck and I explored rhythmic banter together in exciting and unhinged ways. The profound level of connection that we had could only be manifested through years of touring and living together. Over the past two decades, we have watched each other’s families grow. Chuck, you are a wonderful father and friend. I will always treasure our time together.”
Luke Miller also appeared on Denver’s local FOX affiliate, which has kept up with the story as it’s unfolded. At the end of the segment, a reporter stated that the band “may need to take a break” from its upcoming tour—Lotus is currently scheduled to perform next weekend at Resonate Suwannee in Florida—but the members say “they will absolutely keep performing in Chuck’s honor,” saying it’s what he would have wanted.
Lotus band member, son still missing after kayaking in Arkansas
In an open letter to Chuck Morris posted over the weekend, founding Lotus guitarist Mike Rempel, who left Lotus in 2021 to pursue a career in wellness and mindfulness education, pondered what Chuck might have said in this heart-wrenching situation: “I imagine that you would wish us to be comforted rather than contorted in pain. I imagine that you would wish something like, ‘Just be there for each other. Let this moment be a heart-centered moment. May this moment remind you of the preciousness of life. May your fears and your tears bring you more deeply into your humanity and clarify your vision such that you clearly see the beauty that is your existence.’ That’s how I imagine your wish for us—all of us that love you.”
“We appreciate your respect for Chuck’s family and the band members’ privacy at this time,” noted a representative from the band.
You can make a donation here to help support the immediate financial needs of Chuck and Charley Morris’s family.