Died On This Date (October 8, 2011) Mikey Welsh / Former Bassist For Weezer
themusicsover Mikey Welsh
April 20, 1971 – October 8, 2011
Mikey Welsh was a musician and artist who is perhaps best remembered for his short tenure as bassist for popular alternative rock band, Weezer. Born in upstate New York, Welsh eventually settled in the Boston area where he launched his music career. He played in several local bands and even landed a gig as Juliana Hatfield’s touring bassist. In 1997, he met Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo who took him on for his side project, the Rivers Cuomo Band. That led to Welsh joining Weezer after original bassist, Matt Sharp left the group in 1998. He also continued to collaborate with Hatfield and played with Verbana and Patrick Wilson (Weezer). Welsh played on several Weezer singles as well as their The Green Album and Christmas EP during his stint, and toured with the band in 2000. In 2001, he left Weezer to reportedly tend to personal psychiatric issues. He soon left the music business entirely to focus on his art. His art work was well received and had no fewer than a dozen exhibitions. As reported by Zap2it.com, 40-year-old Mikey Welsh died suddenly in Chicago on October 8, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
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