Weezer bassist passes away,aged 40

Mon 10th Oct, 2011 in International News

Former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh has died at the age of 40.

Welsh joined the Weezer in 2000 replacing original bassist Matt Sharp and played on The Green Album, but suffered a mental breakdown and later attempted suicide before leaving the band in August 2001. Since leaving the band Welsh had focused on painting large-scale figures and abstracts.

He was found unresponsive on his Chicago hotel room floor on Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. No cause of death has been released, but in recent weeks Welsh had posted a series of cryptic tweets including the comment on September 26: “Dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). Need to write my will today.”

His family announced his passing on his Twitter: “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.”

Weezer have also paid their respects on their own Twitter, writing: “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.”