Former Wilco Musician Found Dead

Jay Bennett, multi-instrumentalist and former contributor to Wilco and the "Mermaid Avenue" musical project, died in his sleep Sunday, May 24, according to BBC News. He was 45.

Bennett was a member of alternative country band Wilco from 1994 to 2001, working as a sound engineer and musician. Front man Jeff Tweedy told the Chicago Tribune that Bennett made "significant contributions" to Wilco's songs during his tenure with the band. Bennett played keyboards and guitar on Being There, Wilco's second album. He contributed songwriting on the band's subsequent two records, 1999's Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002, according to "All About Jazz."

Bennett also played a part in "Mermaid Avenue," a partnership between Wilco and Billy Bragg to set song lyrics written – though never published – by Woody Guthrie to music. Bennett was involved in the project's first installment in 1998 as well as the follow-up album in 2000, reports "All About Jazz."

During his time with Wilco, relations between Bennett and Tweedy were not always cordial; according to "All About Jazz," Bennett and Tweedy frequently clashed in the studio over the development of the band's sound. The Chicago Tribune reports Bennett filed suit against Tweedy earlier this May for royalties on songs he wrote while in Wilco, seeking $50,000 in damages, according to BBC News.

Bennett's cause of death has not been determined; according to the Chicago Tribune, Bennett was found dead in his home in Urbana, Ill., early Sunday morning. The Tribune reports an autopsy is scheduled to be performed on Bennett's body, Tuesday, May 26.