I don't know how many of you are familiar with Jay, but this came as a shock to me. Very sad.
Update | 8:48 p.m. Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., the Memphis musician better known by his punk-rock stage name Jay Reatard, has died, his record label Goner Records said on Wednesday. In a statement posted at goner-records.com, the label said: âIt is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night. We will pass along information about funeral arrangements when they are made public.â
Susan Thorp, a spokeswoman for the Shelby County Medical Examiner, said on Wednesday evening that an autopsy had been performed on Mr. Lindsey. Ms. Thorp said that a cause of death had not been determined and that officials were âwaiting on lab results.â
Matador Records, which also released Jay Reatardâs music, said in a statement: âWe are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone weâve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. Weâre honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.â
In an article for The New York Times, Mike Rubin wrote that Jay Reatardâs debut solo album âBlood Visionsâ revealed âMr. Lindseyâs talent for distilling punk songwriting to its most elemental form, a mix of adrenaline, testosterone and sugary hooks. Delivered in an ersatz English accent, songs like âMy Shadowâ were reminiscent of late-1970s British punk, particularly bands like Wire and the Adverts, whose former leader, TV Smith, was tapped by Mr. Lindsey as the opening act for his recent tour.â
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/record-label-says-jay-reatard-has-died/