Yesterday, former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh was found dead in a Chicago hotel room. He was 40 years old.
Mikey's family made the announcement yesterday via the bassist's Twitter account, saying: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Mikey Welsh passed away unexpectedly. He will forever be remembered as an amazing father, artist, and friend. May he rest in peace."
According to the Chicago Tribune, police found several prescription drugs as well as a bag of white powder in the bassist's room. While no official cause of death has been determined, police suspect it was an overdose.
Welsh joined Weezer after the departure of their original bassist Matt Sharp, and recorded with the band on their self-titled 2001 album, better known at The Green Album.
Welsh's former band posted the following message on their official Twitter account: "We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear the awful news, our friend and fellow Weezer rocker @mikeywelsh71 has passed away. We love you Mikey."
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Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.
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