Former Wilco Member Jay Bennett Dead at 45

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett, best known for his role as a member of Wilco, passed away on Sunday morning. The 45-year-old musician had reportedly been running a recording studio in his downstate Urbana home, where he died in his sleep, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Although his family is mourning and is currently unavailable for comment, Edward Burch, a friend and fellow musician who collaborated with Bennett on a 2005 album, told the Sun-Times that an autopsy is being performed.

As Entertainment Weekly reports, during his time as a member of Wilco from 1994-2001, Bennett worked on highly praised albums such as Being There, Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Over the course of these seven years, Bennett's relationship with band leader Jeff Tweedy allegedly deteriorated, and Bennett eventually left the band. Bennett and Tweedy's differences were revealed in the film, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. As recent as earlier this month, Bennett sued Tweedy for breach of contract and unpaid artist's royalties, which partially stemmed from his role in the film, according to the Sun-Times.

Late last month, Bennett wrote on his MySpace page about the extreme pain he had endured from a hip surgery many years earlier, during his time with the band, Titanic Love Affair. As the Sun-Times article reports, Bennett wrote about his preparation for another surgery, but his preoccupation with his lack of health insurance.

The musician was reportedly looking forward to completing his fifth solo album, Kicking at the Perfumed Air. Although Bennett sadly will not be able to finish his final project, it appears that his many contributions to the world of music will not be forgotten. "He was an extremely talented musician and a great person, and I'll miss him terribly," Burch told the Sun-Times.