10/02/2026
Michael Neil Hillenburg was a dear client of ours, rest easy our dear friend 🎸 thinking of the family and friends 💕
It is with profound sadness that I write this….Michael Neil "Ol Hilly" Hillenburg is no more, he has played his last note, he has struck his final G chord, he has packed up his gear, coiled his last cable, taken his bow, left the building, got in the van, called it a night, and gone off to teach the Great God of Music in the sky a thing or two about open chords.
And I suppose we're all sitting here thinking how unfair it is that a man with so much talent, so much skill and kindness, so much love should be whisked away so suddenly at just fifty six before he'd done half the things he had left in him, and before he'd squeezed nearly enough fun out of the later years of his life. But sadly that's how it has gone for him.
He leaves behind a legacy of music, a joy for teaching, a loving family, a son Devan and his wife Emma, 2 sisters Donna & Sharon, his brother Jamie, 3 grandkids, 2 cats Carlos & Nigel, and hundreds of students whose lives he touched with his soft wisdom and patient spirit.
He is safely in the arms of the divine mother who is currently squaring him away, burning big boy up and helping him figure out the answers to all his crossword puzzles. He was our brother, he was our bandmate, he was a wonderful man but most importantly, he was our best friend.
We ask that you share any memories you have of Hilly on this post and please respect our privacy during this difficult time.
Thank you
Stu ❤️
sillylittleman
