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Artist News Obituaries
Wayne Static 1965-2014
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 4 November 2014
Former Static X frontman Wayne Static, real name Wayne Wells, died on Saturday. The exact cause of death is not yet known, though his family said in a statement that he had passed away in his sleep. He was 48.
Born in 1965, Wells grew up in Michigan, before moving to Chicago in 1987 and forming a band, Deep Blue Dream, with future Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. After that band came to an end, he formed Static-X in 1994. The band released their debut album, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, during nu-metal’s peak in 1998, eventually reaching platinum status in the US three years later.
The band’s subsequent five albums all had more chart success than the first, though none sold as well overall. In 2009, Wells announced that he would concentrate on solo project Pighammer, with Static-X officially splitting the following year. He eventually released his only solo album, ‘Pighammer’, in 2011.
In 2012, Wells began performing under the Static-X name again, with a different line-up, though this was short-lived, an apparent deal with bassist Tony Campos over the rights to use the name falling through. The day before his death Wells had announced a UK tour as Wayne Static in January, with a plan to play ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’ in full.
Wells is survived by his wife, Tera Wray.
