Jason Molina, the singer of Magnolia Electric Co. and the man behind Songs:Ohia has passed away at the age of 39, from organ failure. He had long suffered problems with alcohol addiction and he was forced to stop touring in 2009, as his health deteriorated as a result of the substance abuse.

In a statement from his record label, Secretly Canadian (published by Huffington Post), they said “This is especially hard for us to share. Jason is the cornerstone of Secretly Canadian. Without him there would be no us — plain and simple… His singular, stirring body of work is the foundation upon which all else has been constructed. After hearing and falling in love with the mysterious voice on his debut single 'Soul' in early 1996, we approached him about releasing a single on our newly formed label. For some reason he said yes.”

Several members of the US alternative rock community have been mourning Jason’s passing. On Twitter, Maggie Vail, of the label Kill Rock Stars, commented “a touring musician is given access to a lot of free booze, healthcare almost never. if you're prone to addiction it's a recipe for disaster” and “I'm tired of seeing my friends and peers in pain. I'm tired of losing talented and wonderful people to addiction.” In 2011 Jason’s family had issued a plea for assistance with a monetary fund that had been set up for him to help pay for his treatment, as he did not have medical insurance. Secretly Canadian concluded their statement by saying “We’re going to miss Jason. He was generous. He was a one of a kind. And he had a voice unlike any other.”