Kill Your Radio podcast co-host and 56k Recordings co-founder Adam Altman has passed away. Adam was a militant vegan animal rights activist, an avid record collector, and musician, releasing music on 56k under the name 'ZOMBIEBOT'. He was 47.
Plant Based Treaty, a vegan activism organization with whom Adam volunteered, released a statement following news of his passing:
We are heartbroken to share that our community has lost a truly compassionate advocate, Adam Altman.
Adam was a dedicated campaigner for [Plant Based Treaty Philly], always ready to lend his time and energy whether supporting social media or showing up enthusiastically at outreach events. If something needed doing, Adam was there.
He had a deep love for animals that shone through in everything he did. He spoke often about the animals in his life, especially his beloved cat, Devi. He fed a squirrel friend by hand from his window, and he regularly visited farmed animal sanctuaries to spend time with the beings he worked so hard to protect.
Vegan for 30 years, Adam’s commitment to animal and human rights was unwavering. He was a compassionate soul whose kindness reached far beyond words or posts, it was lived, every day. He will be dearly missed by all of us.
We hold his loved ones, and all whose lives he touched, in our hearts. 💚
Kill Your Radio co-host and 56k Recordings co-founder Will McKenzie (Fanboy Will) released a statement on their long-time friendship.
What can i say about the loss of my best friend? The words are hard to find...The only
way i can think of starting this is thinking back to that fateful day i met Adam Altman while attending the Fashion Institute Of Technology way back in 1998'. I was new, looking to make friends, and wandered into my class wondering where i should sit. That's when i locked eyed with a guy sporting a shaved head, Doc Martin boots, and a t-shirt featuring a hardcore band i can't quite recall, but was a fellow fan of. Bingo! Being a fellow Hardcore Punk kid this seemed like the ideal place to take a seat. Well, We struck up a conversation about the scene, shared a few of our favorite bands, more than a few laughs, and the rest was history. Not only had i made a friend that day, i met my BEST friend, the man who would one day go on to be the best man at my wedding, and the most supportive friend a guy could ask for.Hearing about his loss was gutting, like losing a part of myself, a piece of my heart. I often told Adam how much i loved him, how much he meant to me, It was often us against the world, two wacky guys sharing our love of music, animals, B - Movies (Especially the Police Academy series), Classic TV, and we always found the time to catch up no matter what. We were each others shoulders, each others confidants, each others safe place. I could always count on Adam for his undying support for any and everything i was involved in. Ask anyone who knew him, Adam was a rock of a friend, i just hope he knew his true value to everyone who met him, everyone who knew that Adam Altman was not only a rock, he was a diamond. Precious, brilliant, and rare..
The world has lost a truly beautiful soul. An undying supporter of the Straight Edge Movement, Animal and Human Rights (Adam would often made his voice heard at rallies and devoted his spare time to helping out animals in need) and a guy who truly loved his friends and family. If you know, you know..
Adam was also my fellow podcast host (The Kill Your Radio Podcast), label mate on an underground label we founded together (56K Recordings) along with Mitch Honstetter and a staunch supporter of the Punk and Hardcore scenes. Adam's encyclopedic knowledge of countless musical genres was truly impressive, and admirable.
Picking up the pieces will be hard, but my memories will be there, our inside jokes will continue to make me laugh, and our bond will never be broken. Forever in my heart, I love you buddy. Save me a seat ❤️
An online memorial is scheduled for March 8, 2026. The service will be held via Zoom. Click here to participate.
