R.I.P. Jay Bennett

[red]

http://idolator.com/5235142/jay-bennett-rip

:'(

[Ghosts_on_TV]

Just read that.  :-[

[aMillionDreams]

that sucks.   He was a talented dude.  I guess there's no word on what exactly happened yet.

[bold99]

Man is crazy news.  He was one talented guy and brought a ton to Wilco sound.  RIP.

[Vadie Stark]

Sad day.

[red]

Aquarium Drunkard has up a nice tribute to Jay (including the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demos): http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2009/05/25/jay-bennett-1963-2009/

[Penny Lane]

SAD... any word yet on what happened?

[tdb810]

very sad....sounded like he was gearing up for hip replacement surgery, and was very worried about how he was going to afford to pay for it....a sad commentary on the state of healthcare..but let me not digress.  A real talent lost..

[laylow82]

wow im shocked.  He was such an integral part of wilco early sound

RIP Jay

[ALady]

Incredibly sad.  It's especially sad that it happened now, with the hip replacement and lawsuit stuff going on.  I hate to think that he died frustrated and in pain.

[Vadie Stark]

From Billboard online:








Jay Bennett, the former Wilco multi-instrumentalist, passed away in his sleep on early Sunday morning (May 24) due to unknown causes. He was 45. Bennett was best known for his work with Wilco, the group for which he wrote and recorded on 1996's "Being There," 1999's "Summerteeth" and 2002's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," as well as the band's Woody Guthrie themed albums with Billy Bragg, "Mermaid Avenue" and "Mermaid Avenue, Volume 2."

The Chicago Sun-Times spoke with Bennett's friend and frequent collaborator, Edward Burch, who simply stated "Jay died in his sleep and an autopsy is being performed. The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this time."

Wilco is currently touring in Spain and lead vocalist/guitarist Jeff Tweedy expressed his condolences in a statement released today.  "We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him -- as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band's songs and evolution. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this very difficult time."

Bennett also released four albums of his own this decade, most recently 2008's "Whatever Happened I Apologized" as a free download under a Creative Commons license via rockproper.com. He was currently living in Urbana, Illinois and working on his fifth album, "Kicking at the Perfumed Air."

Bennett's contentious departure from Wilco was a well-documented situation that played out in the public eye. Earlier this month, Bennett filed suit against Tweedy for "breach of contract" for alleged non-compensation for his appearance in the 2002 Wilco documentary, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," as well as "unpaid royalties" for work throughout his tenure with the band. The suit was said to be for at least $50,000.

As seen in the film, Bennett and Tweedy's disagreed over Wilco's creative direction. After leaving the band, Bennett certainly had a tough time finding the levels of success he saw with Wilco. A recent post to his Myspace blog indicated that he was set to have hip replacement surgery but was currently uninsured and going to pay for it out of pocket.

"I began the arduous, or more accurately, extremely time consuming and endlessly frustrating, process of finding a surgeon and hospital that would perhaps 'cut me a deal,' be willing to bargain/barter a bit, or at least allow me to make installment payments," he wrote on his Myspace blog in April 2009. "As it turns out, this /is/ possible, but also difficult to arrange, if you can not come up with a sizable down payment as a show good faith, etc. I have been saving as much money as possible ever since I made this new commitment to my health, my future, and my quality of life."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez7V74MBNug&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebillboard%2Ecom%2Fbbcom%2Fnews%2Fjay%2Dbennett%2Dex%2Dwilco%2Dmember%2Ddies%2Dat%2D45%2D1003976253%2Estory&feature=player_embedded

Autopsy pending.


From Jay's label Weds:
Our good friend Jay Walter Bennett left us this weekend. As news hits the wires so instantaneously these days, we thought it was important to share some thoughts about our friend and brother before any rumors got out of hand.
First, let it be known that Jay was in a really good place these past few years. He had returned to the area he loved--the "Twin Cities," Champaign-Urbana--and resurrected his studio, Pieholden Suite Sound, with the assistance of many dear friends and allies. Jay had been busy making music. He recently had released an intimate record entitled "Whatever Happened I Apologize," and he was looking forward to wrapping up his new work, "Kicking at the Perfumed Air." Proud of finishing a trilogy of records, including "Bigger Than Blue," "The Beloved Enemy," and "The Magnificent Defeat," Jay loved the balanced yet ironic album titles. He was also looking forward to engineering and releasing Titanic Love Affair's previously unreleased record, as well as starting work on "The Palace at 4 a.m. Part II," the follow-up to his post-Wilco debut with Edward Burch. "Jay the Academic" had also reemerged, pursuing his umpteenth degree at the University of Illinois, and he was thrilled to be t aking graduate classes again.

As many of you may be aware, Jay had finally found the courage to put his Wilco issues out into the public forum. After a long, four-year process (and therefore very much unrelated to his impending hip surgery), formal filings against Wilco were finally initiated. This task was very emotional for Jay. He was a "lover," and this confrontation was not easy for him. With the exception of his final period in Wilco, Jay looked back on his time in the band with great fondness and pride. While he was dismayed that some people may have formed a narrow perception of him via the "documentary," all who truly knew him understood that with most entertainment media, editing is usually constructed for dramatic effect and presents only a small part of a larger, more complex reality.

So, please spend some time this week engaging in Jay's favorite passions: listen to a Nick Lowe album, watch some Mythbusters on Discovery, play Warren Zevon's "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," rent Pay It Forward (one of his favorite movies), write a song with the TV on and the sound off, and focus on how Jay always concluded his communications:

"Love, Jay."

[bold99]

Jay's contribution to Wilco...songs co-written with Tweedy.

ASCAP lists the following compositions by songwriter/composer BENNETT JAY W:

1. AIRLINE TO HEAVEN (Mermaid Avenue)
2. ASHES OF AMERICAN FLAGS (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
3. BLOOD OF THE LAMB (Mermaid Avenue)
4. CALIFORNIA STARS (Mermaid Avenue)
5. CAN'T STAND IT (Summerteeth)
6. CANDYFLOSS (Summerteeth)
7. CHRIST FOR PRESIDENT (Mermaid Avenue)
8. ELT (Summerteeth)
9. FEED OF MAN (Mermaid Avenue)
10. HOODOO VOODOO (Mermaid Avenue)
11. HOW TO FIGHT LONELINESS (Summerteeth)
12. I'M ALWAYS IN LOVE (Summerteeth)
13. I'M THE MAN WHO LOVES YOU (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
14. IN A FUTURE AGE (Summerteeth)
15. JESUS ETC (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
16. KAMERA (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
17. LAST CALL WITH CARSON-BG CUES (ha!)
18. LET ME COME HOME (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot outtake)
19. LET ME COME HOME INSTRUMENTAL (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot outtake)
20. LITTLE WHITE COTTAGE (Mermaid Avenue outtake)
21. MAGAZINE CALLED SUNSET (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot outtake)
22. MY DARLING (Summerteeth)
23. NO CHURCH TONITE (Mermaid Avenue outtake)
24. NOTHINGSEVERGONNASTANDINMYWAY (Summerteeth)
25. PIEHOLDEN SUITE (Summerteeth)
26. POOR PLACES (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
27. POT KETTLE BLACK (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
28. RADIO CURE (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
29. REMEMBER THE MOUNTAIN BED (Mermaid Avenue)
30. REPLACE YOU (with John Stirratt)
31. SECRETS OF THE SEA (Mermaid Avenue)
32. SHAKIN SUGAR (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot outtake)
33. SHE CAME ALONG TO ME (Mermaid Avenue)
34. SHE'S A JAR (Summerteeth)
35. SHOT IN THE ARM (Summerteeth)
36. SOMEDAY SOME MORNING SOMETIME (Mermaid Avenue)
37. SUMMER TEETH (Summerteeth)
38. WAR ON WAR (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
39. WE'RE JUST FRIENDS (Summerteeth)
40. WHISPERY KISS (unreleased? with Tweedy)
41. WHO'S THAT GIRL (Sherry Rich with Ken Coomer and John Stirratt)

BMI lists 81 Bennett compositions, including most of his solo work, but also a couple of additional Wilco-related co-writes:

• CARS CAN'T ESCAPE (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot outtake)
• VENUS STOPPED THE TRAIN (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot outtake)