Jay Bennett (1963-2009)

Jay Bennett, multi-instrumentalist, producer and former member of Wilco, has died at the age of 45. He died in his sleep from an unknown cause, and an autopsy is being performed according to friend Edward Burch.

Bennett was a member of Wilco from 1994-2001, collaborating on four of the band's albums: 1995's A.M., 1996's Being There, 1999's Summerteeth and 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Bennett was asked to leave the group after tensions arose regarding the mixing process during the recording sessions of Foxtrot. Some of these conflicts were documented in the 2001 documentary, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Bennett had recently sued band frontman Jeff Tweedy, citing unpaid royalties for his music and his appearance in the film.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Erika Hynes of Little Type Mailorder (-2009)

Erika Hynes, co-owner of Little Type Mailorder has passed away after a long illness. Lookout! Records co-founder Larry Livermore made this statement:

Erika "Crumbly" Hynes passed away this afternoon. She was at home, having been discharged from the hospital this morning, and surrounded by people who loved her. She was conscious up until five or ten minutes before her death, and laughing and smiling at the messages I was reading to her from some of her online buddies.

The cause of her death was complications from liver failure. She had been ill for a long time, and as of a few days ago the doctors informed the family that there was nothing more they could do for her. A liver transplant was ruled out because her body was too weak and could never have stood the shock of surgery.

Although her illness was long and difficult, Erika's actual passing was gentle and without pain or trauma. She had been longing to leave the hospital and see her beloved home again, and today she finally got her wish. She was lying in her own bed, with familiar faces and things around her, got to see her little dog Lucy once more, and take one last peek at the internet before settling back into her pillows and going to sleep.

Our condolences to Erika's friends and family.

Travis Criscola of Cute Lepers (1985-2009)

Travis Criscola of The Cute Lepers passed away yesterday. His bandmates wrote this:

Early the morning of March 28, in Cincinnati our friend and band-mate Travis Criscola passed away in his sleep. He was 24. Travis was guitarist in the Cute Lepers for the last six months. We're gonna really miss him. We feel that it's appropriate and absolutely not in bad taste to disclose the cause of death of our friend. Travis combined alcohol and pills, then went to sleep and never woke up. It was an accident.

Travis was not any kind of a habitual drug user. I'm a man who has left drugs and alcohol alone for over a decade and I just wont work with people who are mixed up with narcotics. It is rare to find a rock n' roll musician in his early twenties who doesn't get caught up in hitting the bars and going to parties on tour, and Trav was just one of those ones who made a really bad decision. He naively took some type of pills on top of the beer he was drinking and that's it.

You can read the entire announcement here.

Punknews.org offers our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Johnithin Christ of Code of Honor (1958-2009)

Johnithin Christ of Code of Honor passed away March 5th, 2009 due to complications from pneumonia. He had successfully survived a brain tumor but the chemotheraphy and steroids depleted his immune system.

Our deepest condolences to his friends, family and fans.

Lux Interior of the Cramps (1948-2009)

Lux Interior, frontman of influential rockabilly / punk act the The Cramps, passed away today in a Glendale, California hospital. In a statement an existing heart condition was cited as the cause of death.

Lux was born Eric Lee Purkhiser in 1946. He formed the Cramps in the late 70s with his wife Kristy "Poison Ivy" Wallace and became part of the formative New York punk scene emerging around clubs like CBGBs and Max's Kansas City. The band's integration of rockabilly and surf influences, along with the b-movie film imagery, built the foundation of the subgenre we now call psychobilly. Lux built a reputation as a fearless and dramatic frontman, performing with a reckless abandon that's become part of the band's legacy.

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

Charlie Cooper of Telefon Tel Aviv (1977-2009)

Charlie Cooper of Telefon Tel Aviv has passed away. His bandmate had this to say:

It breaks my heart to inform you all that Charlie Cooper, my better half in Telefon Tel Aviv, passed away on January 22nd. We have been friends since high school, and began making records together a decade ago. We have been so fortunate to tour the world together, while at the same time having a massive amount of laughs at one another's expense.

He is survived by a sister, a neice, a nephew, his mother, his stepfather, me, and more adoring friends than the Universe has dark matter. As such, his family and I ask for your discretion and consideration of our privacy during these extremely turbulent waters.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

Andrew Martinez of Nekromantix (1983-2009)

Andrew Martinez, aka Andy DeMize of Nekromantix passed away early Sunday morning as a result of a tragic car accident in in Fullerton, California. His bandmates made this statement:

My thoughts and Condolences go out to his Family and Everybody that knew Andrew. There is no words to describe the shock…… Andrew was probably the most loveable guy I ever met and truely the only person I've met in my life that was loved and liked by everybody met. It's just typical Andrew to pull off this "rockstar death" way too early. I have no idea how Newcastle Beer will be able to continue to stay in business and I encourage everybody that knew Andrew, was a fan of his work with his bands, to drink one, two or many Newcastles in his honor.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

Ron Asheton of The Stooges (1948-2009)

Ron Asheton, guitarist of influential proto-punk act The Stooges was found dead this morning at his home in Ann Arbor, MI. According to a report, police received a call asking them to check on Asheton because the caller said he had not heard from the guitarist in a few days. Police went to his home and found him deceased.

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named Ron the 29th greatest rock guitarist of all-time. The band was also nominated for the Hall of Fame with inductees expected to be announced soon. The Stooges released The Weirdness in 2007. It was their first album since 1973's Raw Power.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

Vincent Ford (1940-2008)

As has been widely reported, Vincent Ford - the man said to responsible for writing the Bob Marley track "No Woman, No Cry" - passed away this past week. The song appeared on Marley's 1974 Natty Dread album and stands as one of the most recognizable tracks by the artist. The story for the song was reportedly based on the Kingston ghetto Trench Town where Marley and Ford both lived earlier in their lives.

There has been some some dispute over whether Ford actually assisted in the songwriting - with some claiming that Marley added his name to the credits to give his friend more money via the royalties. He is also credited with three tracks on the 1976 album Rastaman Vibration.

Ford passed away from complications with diabetes. He was 68.

Bettie Page (1923-2008)

Pin-up model, fashion staple and counter-cultural icon, Bettie Page, passed away last night at the age of 85. Bettie had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia and suffered a heart attack last week from which she did not regain conciousness.

Rising to fame in a 1955 issue of Playboy, she became vastly influential in fashion - particularly punk rock - as well as both the champion and bane of feminists for her unapologetic sexuality. Once asked about it, she replied simply:

I never thought it was shameful. I felt normal. It's just that it was much better than pounding typewriter eight hours a day, which gets monotonous.

Our condolences to her friends, family and fans.