Rock

Died On This Date (May 25, 2003) Jeremy Michael Ward / The Mars Volta

Jeremy Michael Ward
May 5, 1976 – May 25, 2003

Member of the 27 Club

Jeremy Michael Ward was best known for his work with progressive alternative rock band, The Mars Volta, with whom he worked as a sound technician.  The band’s  2003 De-Loused in the Comatorium benefited from Ward’s obvious talent.  When not working with the band or its splinter projects, Ward was a pen and ink artist.  On May 25, 2003, roughly one month after the release of De-Loused, Jeremy Michael Ward was found dead in his apartment of an apparent heroin overdose.  He was 27 years old.

Died On This Date (May 25, 2005) Domenic Troiano / Respected Rock Guitarist

Domenic Troiano
January 17, 1946 – May 25, 2005

DomBorn in Italy, but a citizen of Canada since 1955, Domenic Troiano was an in-demand rock guitarist who played with such greats as Ronnie Hawkins, the James Gang, and the Guess Who.  Forming his own band in the late ’70s, Troiano had a hit with “We All Need Love,” which was actually more disco than rock.  As a session player, he worked on recordings by Joe Cocker, Long John Baldry and James Cotton.  Domenic Troiano died of prostate cancer at the age of 59.

Died On This Date (May 24, 1991) Gene Clark / The Byrds

Gene Clark
November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991

Gene Clark is perhaps best known as a founding member of folk rock group, the Byrds. Clark’s early career was mainly devoted to performing in traditional folk groups in and around Kansas City. But after hearing the Beatles in 1964, he decided he needed to rock, so he moved to Los Angeles. Upon arriving in L.A., Clark joined up with Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and later Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke to form the Byrds, who gained a following based on a sound that music critic Richie Unterberger at allmusic.com called “melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music.” Clark wrote most of the Byrds’ biggest hits – songs that would go on to become signature tunes for the entire era, songs like, “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better,” “Set You Free This Time,” “Here Without You,” “She Don’t Care About Time,” and “Eight Miles High.” But life with the Byrds didn’t last long as internal tensions grew over the record company’s decision to have McGuinn sing the “bigger” songs, Clark’s fear of flying, and the band’s resentment that he was making more money from publishing. So he left the band just two years later. Clark spent the rest of his career working solo and partnering with the likes of Carla Olson, Doug Dillard, Bernie Leadon, as well as a brief stint back with Hillman and McGuinn. By the late ’80s, years of drugs and heavy drinking along with a possible undiagnosed bipolar disorder, began to manifest in the form of ulcers which resulted in the loss of much of his stomach and intestines to surgery. Bad health and lawsuits involving the other members of the Byrds plagued his final years. Clark died on May 24, 1991 of what the coroner declared, natural causes brought on by a bleeding ulcer.

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Died On This Date (May 23, 2009) Jay Bennett / Former Member of Wilco

Jay Bennett
November 15, 1963 – May 23, 2009

jaybennettJay Bennett was an exceptional, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer most famously known for his years in Wilco.  Prior to Wilco,  Bennett helped found Titanic Love Affair in the early ’90s.  He joined Wilco in 1994 and stayed with the group until a less-than-amicable split in 2001.  After Wilco, Bennett released a handful of studio albums while appearing on several as an in-demand studio musician.  He also produced albums by the likes of Blues Traveler.   In May of 2009, Bennett filed a lawsuit against Jeff Tweedy of Wilco claiming, according to Paste Magazine, “Tweedy owes Bennett ‘damages of at least $50,000’ for his time in the band, including his less-than-favorable depiction in the 2002 Wilco documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” Jay Bennett passed away of an accidental overdose from a prescription painkiller on May 23, 2009 .  He was just 45.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.

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