Jay Bennett, master of many instruments and member of Wilco from 1994-2001, died early Sunday in downtown Urbana, Ill, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. A friend told the Sun-Times that Bennett died in his sleep, and that an autopsy would be performed. Bennett worked with Wilco on its acclaimed albums Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, though his relationship with band leader Jeff Tweedy became contentious during the making of this last album, and he left the band. Their differences were laid bare in the Foxtrot making-of documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, and just last month Bennett had filed suit against Tweedy for breach of contract and unpaid royalties for the film.
Remembering Jay Bennett on EW’s Music Mix:
Jay Bennett: RIP
sad so sad..
RIP Jay…even though you and jeff came to blows, you were still a great artist
“Im the boy who leaves his heart out”…
…I’m sad, it’s a loss to music, the music he has made as a part of Wilco and on his own will live on…
Please tell me this isn’t true, if you were trying to break my heart, you did it in a single headline, I read this as I am listening to Wilco the album.
I was never that much into Wilco. They were never a band that really rocked hard! Just a bunch of
all-too-literate post-rockers! Perfect for the adult rock format! I’ll never own a Wilco record
-Good riddance! I hope he rests in heaven. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cause was drug-related. What a waste and shame of a life. Peace out!
See. Don´t f**k with Tweedy.
Such sad news.