Rock guitarist who lost everything in Eaton Fire finds hope again through music
By Jasmine Viel
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ALTADENA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Terry Kilgore sits in an upholstered wooden chair, outside a donated RV he now lives in on his burned Altadena lot, strumming his guitar, singing a new tune of hope.
The guitarist who once played for Van Halen and is known for shaping a legendary rock sound is now rebuilding his life from the ground up.
“Best songs I done, on a shoestring,” Kilgore said as he shared memories and what’s left after losing his home in the wildfire. “Altadena, it was a pretty place up here,” he said.
Kilgore retired after decades in the industry, but then the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, destroying his historic ranch home and priceless guitars.
“I had a parlor guitar, 120 years old, never scratched.” He continued to explain that his insurance, Allstate, canceled him and many others months before the Eaton Fire, “I ended up on food stamps,” he said. “That’s what damn near killed me. I refused to leave,” he said.
Musician Kristy Cepielik sings along as Kilgore plays guitar, adding, “He’s the best guitarist on the planet!” Cepielik met Kilgore this year, inspiring him to perform and record again.
“It transcends time and space for me. That’s the only thing that’s really kept me alive is that the hope that I might be able to put something out, together, and I didn’t really plan on it this late in life,” he said. “But you know what, if the house hadn’t burned down, I’d have never met her.”
The two are working on a couple of new songs together. “You called it ‘Big Sky,’ and I thought, well let’s call it ‘Altadena Sky’ because people will pay attention to that,” Cepielik said.
Back in the rhythm, back in the fight, for Terry Kilgore, this isn’t just a comeback; it’s doing what he’s always done best.
“It changed my life when I had to go out, get out, and get in it again. Not so bad,” Kilgore said.
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