Former Weezer bassist, Mikey Welsh, 40, was found dead Saturday afternoon in a Chicago hotel. Welsh was discovered on the floor of a Streeterville hotel room not breathing and unresponsive after he failed to check out at 1 p.m.
He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Welsh predicted his death in a twitter message on September 26, which read “Dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). Need to write my will today,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Welsh joined the band in 1998 following the departure of original Weezer bassist Matt Sharp and left in 2001 following the release of the Green Album; a period of time Karl Koch, Weezer webmaster and long time friend of the band, called “vital, essential, wild, and amazing.”
“Mikey was never one to shy away from the absurd, dangerous or strange, and he did so with a gusto few others had. No one had quite the stage presence of Mikey, nor have there been many who pulled the types of shenanigans he did at shows. If it rocked, he had to try it – and he always found a way to pull it off,” wrote Koch.
Following his departure from Weezer, Welsh dedicated his time to painting and has had several successful solo exhibitions since 2001, according to his website. His work has been called “Manic, edgy and masculine…” by The Boston Globe.
Welsh planned to attend Chicago’s Riot Fest, an annual indie and punk rock festival, on Sunday evening where Weezer headlined.
“…We were looking forward to seeing him again. As sad as it is to think about, we know Mikey would never want the rock stopped on his account,” wrote Koch.
Weezer Front man, Rivers Cuomo, began the set by dedicating it to the memory of Welsh and referred to Welsh as both a great guy and bass player.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, “authorities said Welsh, of South Burlington, Vt., died of an apparent drug overdose. The results of a Sunday autopsy performed by the medical examiner’s office are pending toxicological reports.”
Welsh is survived by his wife and two children.
Please share your thoughts and memories of Mikey Welsh in the comments.
