Composer, saxophonist, author and activist Fred Ho passed away over the weekend.

A foremost voice in the history of West Coast Asian American jazz, the East Coast avant-garde, and numerous anti-oppression movements, Ho spent his life redefining the relationship between art and politics.

Last year UIP published Yellow Power Yellow Soul, a collection that explores the life, work, and persona of the larger-than-life “Celestial Green Giant.” Fred Ho was involved with the book and was honored at a book event at The Museum of Chinese in America.

For the past few years Ho had been “at war” with colorectal cancer.  He was 56 years old.