Sparklehorse frontman Mark Linkous died March 6 and according to a statement from his family, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist took his own life. Details of Linkous' death have not yet been made public but the family released a statement upon learning of his passing:
"It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.”
Linkous made his Sparklehorse debut in 1995 with Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. While on tour in support of that album, he was actually dead for two minutes after mixing valium and other antidepressants. He was revived and experienced assorted health problems during his recovery. Four years later, he unveiled Sparklehorses's follow-up album Good Morning Spider. It's A Wonderful Life followed two years later. There was a five year gap in Sparklehorse music and in 2006 released Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain.
Most recently, Linkous had teamed up with famed producer Danger Mouse on a record called Dark Night Of The Soul. The album was released digitally first and there are reports that a physical release of the album was already underway. Linkous' publicist said the singer/songwriter had nearly wrapped work on a new album, as well.