Jay Reatard (1980-2010)

Multiple reports have surfaced that Memphis, TN's Jay Reatard has passed away at the age of 29. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported about it here, and Eric Friedl of Goner Records, the label that issued Jay Reatard and the Reatards' 1998 debut Teenage Hate, wrote a note on the label's message board:

"It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night. We will pass along information about funeral arrangements when they are made public."

Over the years, Reatard released material through Goner, In The Red Records and multiple other labels. His final album, 2009's Watch Me Fall, was released by Matador Records.

Our deepest condolences go out to Reatard's family, friends and fans.

Rowland S. Howard (The Birthday Party) (1959-2009)

Sad news out of Melbourne, Australia, as guitarist Rowland S. Howard passed away yesterday from liver cancer. He was 50 years old.

Howard joined the Nick Cave-fronted The Birthday Party (then known as The Boys Next Door) in 1978 and was a guitarist and songwriter for the band until their breakup in 1983. Howard's playing style was known as aggressive, and laden with distortion and feedback. After The Birthday Party's breakup, Howard played in Crime and the City Solution in 1985-86, fronted post-punk outfit These Immortal Souls from 1987 to 1998 and released two solo albums: 2000's Teenage Snuff Film and Pop Crimes, released in October of this year to heavy critical acclaim.

Our deepest condolences go out to Howard's family, friends and fans.

James Owen Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold (1981-2009)

Avenged Sevenfold's James Owen Sullivan, nicknamed "The Rev," has died. He was 28. The drummer passed Monday at his home in in Southern California from what Huntington Beach police are calling natural causes. The Orange County coroner's office is currently investigating the death.

On the band's website they commented, "It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world's best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother."

Our deepest condolences go out to James' family and friends.

Vic Chesnutt (1964-2009)

Many of you wrote in with the tragic news of the passing of singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt. Chesnutt, 45, died on December 25 following a brief coma brought on by an overdose of muscle relaxers. Whether or not the overdose was intentional remains unclear. Chesnutt was involved in an auto accident at the age of 18 that left him paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair.

Chesnutt was a vital part of the music scene in Athens, GA, first earning the admiration of Michael Stipe of R.E.M. in the late 1980s and went on to collaborate with members of Fugazi, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra, M.Ward, Throwing Muses and many others. Chesnutt was recently touring in support of his thirteenth studio album, At the Cut.

Our deepest condolences go out to Vic Chesnutt's family, friends and fans.

Mat Arluck of Sweet Cobra, Horace Pinker (1969-2009)

Mat Arluck of Sweet Cobra, and formerly of Horace Pinker has passed away after a long battle with cancer. His bandmates made the announcement:

We lost a friend and partner in crime as Mat Arluck passed away at home with his family November 26 after a long battle with cancer. Mat spent over 4 years helping us write and record some of the best songs we have done to date and was instrumental in redefining our sound to what it is today. We were lucky to have the privilege to play in a band with him and even luckier to have him as a friend. Rest in peace brother.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

Matthew Arluck of Sweet Cobra (1969-2009)

Mat Arluck of Sweet Cobra, Horace Pinker, Crash Course and Stabbed By Words passed away on November 26th due to complications from his fight with cancer. He had been in and out of care for the past several years.

His bandmates in Sweet Cobra said this:

We were definitely a lucky bunch of guys to have him join our band. He's one of the most honest and amazing people we've met, We've learned a lot from him. We're just thankful that we had him for the time that we did.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

Jerry Fuchs of Maserati and !!! (1974-2009)

Drummer Jerry Fuchs of !!! and Maserati has passed away in an elevator accident. According to an ABC News report, Jerry was trying to jump out of a disabled elevator car when his clothing caught on something.

He was unconscious and unresponsive when emergency responders brought him to Bellevue Hospital Center. He was pronounced dead at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, about three hours after the fall in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

His Maserati bandmates posted on Twitter saying:

With overwhelming sadness, bids farewell to our drummer and dear friend Jerry Fuchs. Love you, bro.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

Paul Preminger of the Smugglers (-2009)

Paul Preminger, founding drummer of Vancouver-punks The Smugglers, has passed away from a heart attack. Smugglers vocalist Grant Lawrence remembered Preminger to Straight.com as:

A guy that hit the drums hard, and who lived hard. He was a Joe Pesci, bulldog kind of a guy, but very smart, very funny, and very kind….He was one of those guys who'd sit on the couch and answer every single question on Jeopardy!, and you'd be like, 'What the fuck? How does this Bukowski-esque character know all this?'

"He was much more experienced in every facet of life. He had a hundred stories. It was like touring with a merchant sailor. And he had a lot of strange quirks. He developed a quirk where he'd puke before every show, sometimes on-stage.

Paul recorded one album with the band before leaving in 1992 to become a chef. Our condolences to his friends and family.

Brendan Mullen (1949-2009)

A number of you wrote in with the sad news that author and club owner Brendan Mullen has passed away at the age of sixty. The LA Times reported on his passing, noting his opening of The Masque in Hollywood which went on to launch the careers of The Germs, X, the Go-Go's, The Weirdos, the Skulls, the Controllers and more.

He was equally well-known and respected for his books, including the classic, We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk, 2002's Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs, the oral history of Jane's Addiction, Whores, published in 2005, and wrote the 2007 Live at the Masque: Nightmare in Punk Alley.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Jon Guthrie (1983-2009)

Jon Guthrie passed away following a car crash on Saturday night. Jon was a member of or involved with several bands in the Athens, GA scene including GuFF, Vigilantes of Love and Michael Guthrie Band. He played with Guff just last Wednesday at the 40 Watt Club in Athens.

According to the Flagpole site:

The 26-year-old had been missing since late Saturday night, when he was last seen driving from downtown Athens to a friend's house. It appears that Jon lost control of his vehicle while crossing over a bridge on Beaverdam Road.

Our condolences to his friends and family.