RIP: Jay Bennett

(Jay, at TT the Bear’s in 2005, from Flickr user rustedrobot)

So sad to see this story from Muzzle of Bees: Jay Bennett, former member of Wilco member and one of the masterminds behind their epic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, died in his sleep last night after undergoing hip replacement surgery. He was 45.

Wikipedia points us to this MySpace post just before he went under the knife. After disclosing he had a torn ACL, which he ignored for several years:

Well, it turns out that these types of injuries don’t really heal themselves, as I naively told myself might just magically happen, if I rested that leg, used a cane for a while, and lost a bit of weight. So, major surgery it was to be…the only glitch, I am among our nations under-insured (my previous injury to that leg was listed as a pre-existing condition, and any injury that could be linked to the same root cause, I was told would not be covered). Some time passed as I contemplated my next “move,”—how to come up with the money to pay for the surgery “out of pocket,” and as I brainstormed, my hip finally decided to lock up, and the pain got worse. So I began the arduous, or more accurately, extremely time consuming and endlessly frustrating, process of finding a surgeon and hospital that would perhaps “cut me a deal,” be willing to bargain/barter a bit, or at least allow me to make installment payments. As it turns out, this is possible, but also difficult to arrange, if you can not come up with a sizable down payment as a show good faith, etc. I have been saving as much money as possible ever since I made this new commitment to my health, my future, and my quality of life, and have sold off some vintage recording gear, whose monetary collectors value now far outweighs it’s functional value. As time has passed my mobility has continued to erode, to the extent that, for quite some time now, it has even been difficult to sit at the computer for more than just a few minutes—as I only own an ancient, yet reliable (don’t get mad at me baby), old Dell desk top PC, I can’t lie on the couch with a lap top and leisurely engage in the cyber world as I had so enjoyed since I made the commitment to enter the 21^st century (or at least the late 20^th) and interact with all of the wonderful people who have chosen to be my friends on myspace. And, even if I have said it enough already, I’ll just keep saying it over and over again; what an thoroughly enjoyable experience it has been, it’s like hanging out at a bar talking to folks with similar interests, swapping stories, answering questions, asking questions, getting to know people, reacquainting myself with old cronies, all without having to shout above the music (which I hate, unless of course it is of my choosing)…and I really have missed these interactions on so many levels. I know that I owe many of you mails (my trips to ye olde Dell are painful and now almost non-existent…this note was hand written and transcribed). I also owe some of you input on music that you have sent to me, for these transgressions, I apologize, but trust that you will understand.

I’m not suggesting that Jay’s lack of insurance gave him any less than the best treatment when he did go under the knife for various leg work, but his problem is one that thousands of musicians in America face: ours is an industry which does not provide for health insurance. So, for Jay, may I suggest donating some money over at Rock For Health, a Northeastern-born organization dedicated to raising money to provide artists with health insurance. You can donate on their MySpace here.

Also, earlier this month, Jay sued Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy for unpaid royalties (see the complaint here). Sad to think Jeff and Jay left on such bad terms, after nearly a decade as bandmates.

Godspeed, Jay.