Ex-Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh dies in Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) - October 9, 2011
Chicago spokeswoman Laura Kubiak said Welsh was supposed to
check out of the Raffaello Hotel at 1 p.m. Saturday. When he
didn't, hotel staff went to his room, entered it and found him
unconscious and not breathing, Kubiak said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said autopsy results
will be available Sunday afternoon. Kubiak said there's nothing to
indicate foul play.
Welsh, 40, of Burlington, Vt., performed with Weezer from 1998
to 2001, leaving after suffering a nervous breakdown, according to
the band's website. He eventually established himself in a second
career as a painter.
"I'm taking a break from music," he told MetroWest Daily News
in 2002. "I really feel the need to reinvent myself and move on,
and I couldn't be happier painting. Music is still an important
part of my life, but I really have no desire to actually play it."
Weezer posted a message on its website, saying Welsh's time with
the band was "vital, essential, wild, and amazing."
"A unique talent, a deeply loving friend and father, and a
great artist is gone, but we will never forget him," the band
said.
