Jay Reatard Killed by Cocaine and Alcohol Overdose
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Jay Reatard
The autopsy results for Memphis, TN, garage-punk prodigy Jay Reatard have been released, concluding that the 29-year-old rocker was killed by "cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor," said Shelby County Medical Examiner Karen E. Chancellor.
As previously reported, Reatard, born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., was discovered dead around 3:30 A.M. Jan. 13 in his bed at home in Memphis. His sudden passing sent a shock through the indie music community, with Beck, the Pixies, and others paying tribute to the rocker.
A memorial was held for Reatard Jan. 16 at Memphis' Memorial Park Funeral Home. SPIN contributor and Memphis mainstay Andrew Earles wrote about the service, and captured Reatard's influence on the city's scene and the music world as a whole in an emotional remembrance. Read it here.
13 Comments
Click here to comment- Posted By Anonymous
02.05.10 3:22 AM
I second "WhoTheHellAreYOU" I have known Jay for nine years and have watched him "grow-up" over the years as a friend most of the time and sometimes, we were enemies, like any good relationship. The last time we talked, he said that he was alcohol and drug free and his record label was testing him for drugs. He was happy, smiling and looking forward to the future. That was less than year ago, and sometimes, after being clean for a long time and then re-using, the body fails. I am finding it hard to believe that there is no mention anywhere that Jay had a pre-existing heart condition he was born with and his life was ultimately going to be cut short because of it. Jay knew that already. I don't think he expected that falling back into drugs would have that effect on his heart, but it obviously did.
Regardless of how he died, it is completely disrespectful for anyone who didn't know him personally to say an unkind word or judge him in his death. You are not perfect. Neither am I and neither was Jay. But, if there is one thing in life you leave behind in death it is your passion and Jay had passion.
Passion enough to be news worthy. Trust me, if Jay were alive right now, he'd be laughing at all this bull**** and saying "why the **** are you assholes talking about me?"
I miss my friend and I am sad that I will never see him again. I read these articles to see what "everyone" is saying, and when I read them, it makes me sick to my stomach to read such crap from people who don't know him or his music.
Have some respect please. Honor your dead garage punk friend and let us honor ours. Instead of posting negative things about our friend, why not post a link to something your friend accomplished. Perhaps we'll listen and enjoy his music too.
- Posted By Anonymous
02.04.10 1:02 PM
Even more than drugs at fault is the lack of community and support for artists. I don't drink or use powders because I know of the dangers. Most people use because of lack of love and friendship in their life. Being an artist is a lonely road and people only want to know you when your on top. When you have a hard time, your left to your own devises, even if it kills you. Let this be a wake up call to a scene that has lost its collectivity, in the race to be "cool" we have forgotten there is more to life than who is who.
May your suffering not be in vain, and the loss of flesh take away your pain . ∞Ω∞
- Posted By Matt Kiser
02.04.10 12:12 PM
- Hey guys, let's take the yelling down a notch. No need to get *too* upset here. @JimmyM: why don't you take a look at this page (scroll to the bottom) and listen to some tunes and watch the short documentary? You might have a different opinion of Jay. http://www.spin.com/articles/jay-reatard-remembered
- Posted By Charkie
02.04.10 11:45 AM
@JimmyM
YOURE A ****ING ASSHOLE!!!!
WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ****ING PIECE OF ****...
JAY WAS MY FRIEND AND HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING ARTISTS OF THE LAST DECADE....
SHOW SOME RESPECT BY NOT COMMENTING WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW BITCH!
SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE THE RETARD!
- Posted By WhoTheHellAreYOU
02.04.10 11:36 AM
have some bloody respect, jimmy. why is whether or not YOU know who he is the be-all-end-all deciding factor of whether or not spin should cover his death? i don't know one single person in three cities that i have lived in over the last 5 years that DOESN'T know who jay reatard is. who are YOU and why should we care what you have to say about this? you could have easily kept your words to yourself.
do you regularly walk into memorial services and rant about how you don't know who it is that died and you don't understand why anyone cares? i'm sorry your friend died, but that doesn't give you a free ticket to be so blatantly disrepectful to someone else that has died.
a lot of people didn't know who jeff buckley was until after he died and now he's considered to be one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. go f*ck yourself, you insensitive piece of sh*t.
- Posted By JimmyM
02.04.10 4:01 AM
Who is this guy and why should I care? Hey, I knew a garage-punk prodigy who died and Spin never covered his death. Why? Nobody ever heard of him and nobody's ever heard of this guy, either. What's the difference between my dead friend and this guy? Oh yeah, he had a cutesy name. Oh well, looks like he lived up to the name. RIP, whoever the hell you are.
- Posted By Anonymous
02.04.10 1:08 AM
How so terribly sad.I work as a counselor with people with addictions and it's so heart wrenching to know another human being has been lost to drugs.I place no judgment on his drug use but rather that a responsible choice can't be made by someone who is"HIGH".May you find peace.
- Posted By Smarter Anonymous
02.03.10 5:32 PM
RIP Jay
- Posted By Smarter Anonymous
02.03.10 5:31 PM
Anonymous:
"You didn't take it seriously at the time..."
"You didn't consider this could happen..."...It sounds like you a were friend man...
...Or very intelligent......or both.....
HAHAHAHA
- Posted By Anonymous
02.03.10 3:47 PM
it seems like people never think they'll fatally od on coke. like heroin is the only killer... i remember talking to jay on the phone while he was doing that ****, i didn't not take it seriously at the time or consider this could happen... that was 3 years ago. it's been a long time since we spoke. but it's terribly important to be honest with friends when you're worried about them. i will be having talks with a few people very soon. rest in peace jay, i will never ever forget you.
02.12.10 4:12 PM
"But, if there is one thing in life you leave behind in death it is your
passion and Jay had passion."
Jay was one of the few musicians playing music because there was a burning intensity inside that gave him no other option. Every single time I saw a Jay Reatard band live, from his high school era Reatards to his new solo act, there wasn't even a possibility of being jerked off by some hack hanging out with his buds, playing for suds (NTTIAWWT), trying to look cool and make the scene. Jay was the real deal, and he played with power and abandon. He tapped into the same voodoo conjured by all the greats. He left it on the stage. In Southern Football terms, gave 110%.
Sorry for all you that cats that never caught Jay live multiple times, because if you had, none of you would be doubting his well-deserved accolades.