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Dennis Flemion of The Frogs is missing, presumed dead after a swimming accident on the weekend.

The drummer, whose band counted the likes of Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan, Animal Collective and Eddie Vedder among its fans, went missing at Wind Lake in Racine, America. His body is yet to be retrieved from the site, but Gerard Cosloy, of the band's former label Matador posted a tribute to Flemion online.

"Dennis was without question, one of the funniest persons I've ever encountered. Painfully so," wrote Cosloy. "It would not be an exaggeration to say there were several times in which his verbal evisceration chops were almost impossible to keep up with (those who've attended Frogs shows over the years know exactly what I'm talking about).

"There's a couple of new Frogs albums that came out last week on iTunes ; 'Squirrel Bunny Juniper Deluxe' and 'Count Yer Blessingz'. The Dennis that we saw onstage would've recognized this tragic event as a huge opportunity to plug some new recordings.

"Sans wig, drum sticks, etc. he might've preferred I'd not even mention it. The fantastic output and fleeting moments of near-fame aside, I hope he's remembered as a really sweet guy first, and a hugely talented artist second. Our thoughts go out to Jimmy, the rest of the Flemion family, their friends and everyone who was lucky enough to know Dennis. Simply saying, "he'll be missed" doesn't come close to covering it."

Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins tweeted: "I'm devastated by the loss of my friend Dennis Flemion. Words can't explain the sorrow. A tragic loss. Please pray for his family."

The Frogs never achieved mainstream success, but were hugely influential among a legion of bands.