J. Kevin Kelly, a gifted science teacher who made chemistry and physics come alive for countless high school students and a respected guitarist who played with a number of local bands, died suddenly on Monday.

He would have celebrated his 57th birthday on Saturday.

His wife, fine-arts photographer Sue Abramson, said her husband had passed a stress test a week ago with flying colors.

Mr. Kelly, of Squirrel Hill, was a popular science teacher at Oliver High School, where he worked for 18 years. In 2003, he became high school science coordinator for the Math Science Partnership Grant of Southwest Pennsylvania, a $20-million federal grant program at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit designed to improve teaching methods.

He was also a leader at the High School Science Teacher Leadership Academy, training teachers from five counties to understand how students learn and how teachers can reach them. In addition, he was an expert reviewer of Pennsylvania's statewide science tests.

"Kevin was an amazing teacher," said Nancy Bunt, his supervisor at the math science partnership. "Anything you were talking about, he could find the science in it and use it as an example you could understand."

Dr. Cassandra Richardson Kemp, former principal of Oliver High, said Mr. Kelly was instrumental in founding the Manchester Arts Collaborative, in which 60 ninth-graders from Oliver spent half of each school day at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild studying art, music, leadership and coping skills.

"Kevin's favorite expression was, 'Why not?' " said Dr. Kemp.

"He was a visionary, always looking for ways to help students become more successful. That's what happened with the collaborative. We found out this group of students had higher grades and fewer absences than other students at Oliver."

The program ended after seven years, when its foundation funding ran out, she said.

An accomplished rock, blues and bluegrass musician, Mr. Kelly played lead and rhythm guitar with a variety of bands, including Pep Boys, Jill West and the Blues Attack, and El Dorado Kings. He also sat in with other musicians until a hearing loss forced him to pull back a few years ago.

"Kevin played amazing finger-style blues," said fellow guitarist Mark Cholewski, noting that Mr. Kelly was a regular at open stage jam sessions on the South Side. "His influences were Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, but he really developed his own thing.

"He was well known and respected among other musicians. Everyone wanted to play with Kevin because he was so solid he made other musicians feel confident on stage."

The son of John C.R. Kelly, director of atomic power at Westinghouse's Nuclear Services Division, Mr. Kelly graduated from Franklin Regional High School and studied music and science at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md.

After graduation he worked in private industry, taught private school, then earned his teaching certificate at California University of Pennsylvania. More recently, he earned a master's degree in science education at Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to his expertise in science, teaching and music, Mr. Kelly was an accomplished cook and baker; an avid gardener who grew vegetables, flowers and bonsai trees; a skilled sculptor who could turn a block of stone into a human form; and a talented builder who remodeled the family home from top to bottom.

He also loved the Japanese art of paper-folding.

"Our house is full of origami critters," said his wife, who met Mr. Kelly when she was a 19-year-old art student in Maryland and he was living in a geodesic dome he built himself. They were married for almost 25 years, and have a teenage son, Alex Kelly Abramson.

Mr. Kelly also is survived by his mother, Virginia Kelly of Export; and three sisters, Kate McKusker of Baltimore, Megan Bethel and Bronwyn Sodrosky, both of Irwin.

Friends will be received tomorrow from 4 to 7 p.m. at McCabe Brothers Funeral Home, 6214 Walnut St., Shadyside.

The family suggests contributions to the Alex Abramson Custodial Account in care of PNC Bank, 4301 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh 15217, or VH1 Save the Music Foundation, 1515 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10036.