Jay Bennett, a member of Wilco from 1994 to 2001, has died at the age of 45.
The cause of death has not been revealed but according to his management company website Undertow Jay died in his sleep.“We are profoundly saddened to report that our friend died in his sleep last night. Jay was a beautiful human being who will be missed,” a statement at the Undertow website reads.
Jay was a founding member of Titanic Love Affair and recorded three albums with the group in the 1990s.
As a session musician, Bennett has recorded with Sheryl Crow, Billy Joe Shaver and Alison Moorer.
Bennet’s split from Wilco was documented in the movie ‘I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco’.
Only this month, Bennett started legal proceedings against Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy over breach of contract for his work with Wilco at the time. In April, Jay had made public that he needed hip replacement surgery but could not afford it because he did not have health insurance.
In his most recent posting on MySpace, Jay explained, “I DID NOT brace myself for THE diagnosis of the need for a complete hip replacement (ball and socket, if you will). I just about fainted when I saw the X-Rays of that hip....holy &%$#*, what a mess I had made. The doctor sized me up at 5’9” (well actually, now a bit shorter than that on one side) and concluded that most likely I was not a basketball player, yet recognized the damage as that typically caused by repetitive high impact sports activity. Well, I knew in a heartbeat that could mean only one thing.... and, yes, you guessed it?-a decade plus of multiple nightly stage jumps and various other rock and roll theatrics had finally taken a toll that I could no longer merely “deal with,” or ignore, even if I were to change my evil ways (baby).”
