The former Wilco member who sued the band's main man Jeff Tweedy earlier this month over a royalties dispute has suddenly died of unspecified causes, aged 45. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Jay Bennett died at his Urbana, Illinois home on early Sunday morning, seemingly in his sleep, and an autopsy is being performed to ascertain cause of death.
A posting on the website of the Undertow Music Collective, Bennett most recent label, said simply: "We are profoundly saddened to report that our friend died in his sleep ... Jay was a beautiful human being who will be missed".
Tweedy, currently touring with Wilco in Spain, issued this statement yesterday: "We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him - as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band's songs and evolution. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this very difficult time".
Multi-instrumentalist Bennett joined Wilco in 1994 and wrote for and appeared on three of the band's albums, 1996's 'Being There', 1999's 'Summerteeth' and 2002's 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot', as well as taking part in the band's Woody Guthrie celebrating Billy Bragg collaborations, 'Mermaid Avenue' and 'Mermaid Avenue 2'.
He quit the band in 2001 after a falling out with Tweedy, a falling out which was closely documented because the band were participating in the recording of a documentary film at the time of the split. It was partly royalties relating to that film that Bennett claimed he was still owed earlier this month. At the time it was revealed that the musician needed the allegedly unpaid Wilco royalties to help fund a hip replacement operation, which with hindsight may have been an indication of general ill-health.
As well as his work with Wilco, Bennett recorded three albums in the nineties with his own band Titanic Love Affair, and more recently released four solo albums and appeared as a session musician on tracks by other artists, most notably Sheryl Crow. He was working on his fifth solo album at the time of his death. It is not clear what Bennett's death means for the litigation he launched against Tweedy.