Billy Corgan mourns death of his father: "He inspired me to be the musician that I am"

Billy Corgan's father, William Dale Corgan, has passed away at age 74.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman announced the news over the weekend with a series of videos, in which he described his "long, crazy, complicated relationship" with Billy Sr.

"On the bright side of it all, he inspired me to be the musician that I am," Corgan said. "He made me be way better than I would've ever been without him. He was a fantastic musician, and a great teacher in his own way."

Corgan added that while his dad "didn't really understand what I was doing, musically," during the early days of the Pumpkins, he later "came around and became my biggest fan and supporter."

Following the announcement, Corgan played a holiday concert at Madame ZuZu's, the Chicago tea shop he owns with his partner, Chloe Mendel.

"The show goes on -- that's what my father believed in," Corgan said.

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