Former Wilco star Jay Bennett was found dead on Sunday (24May09). He was 45.
Bennett, who played a number of instruments on Wilco's first three albums, passed away in Urbana, Illinois, where he had been running a recording studio.
Bennett's friend and fellow musician Edward Burch says, "Early this morning, Jay died in his sleep and an autopsy is being performed. The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this time."
Earlier this month (May09) the rocker filed suit against Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy over allegations of unpaid royalties, seeking $50,000 (£33,650) in damages.
Just two weeks earlier, he had announced on his MySpace.com blog that he needed hip replacement surgery but feared he couldn't pay for the operation because he had no health insurance.