Like everything these days, word of Jay Bennett‘s death trickled out in digital drops. First was a Facebook message I saw quoting a Via Chicago bulletin board post that “someone in New York named Jay Bennett had died.” Assuming it was a simple name coincidence I didn’t immediately think much of it. I did a Google news search just to be sure, but the only articles that came up were about Bennett’s recent lawsuit against Wilco and a short article on his new label’s experiment with raising funds to release his next album. No obits. No news otherwise.
Then the stream of text messages and emails came.
Undertow Records was the first official source I saw confirm Bennett’s death. I didn’t even see it at first, I read about it in emails. Undertow Released Bennett’s first post-Wilco effort, a collaboration with longtime friend and sometime collaborator, Edward Burch, titled The Palace at 4:00am.
Burch confirmed Bennett’s death for the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Jim DeRogatis Sunday evening.
“Early this morning, Jay died in his sleep and an autopsy is being performed,” Burch is quoted as saying on DeRogatis’ blog. “The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this time.”