Alex Chilton, front man for indie rock legends Big Star has died in New Orleans.
The singer was admitted to hospital after complaining of ill healthy earlier in the day and died that night of a suspected heart attack at age 59.Big Star drummer Jody Stephens confirmed his death on Memphis news site The Commercial Appeal, saying “Alex passed away a couple of hours ago,” Stephens said. “I don’t have a lot of particulars, but they kind of suspect that it was a heart attack.”
Chilton kicked off his career in the late sixties fronting Memphis soul group The Box Tops, where the success of ‘The Letter’ saw them shoot to the top of the charts. Shortly after their demise, Chilton was offered a spot fronting ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’, but turned it down for being “too commercial”.
He later joined Big Star and became a cult icon amongst rock fans everywhere.
Big Star were due to perform at South by Southwest in Austin, TX this Saturday.
Check out some of Chilton’s music here:
Big Star - Thirteen:
The Box Tops - The Letter:
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