Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous R.I.P.

Commits suicide; gifted singer songwriter had battled depression for years.

By Fred Mills

News began getting out last night that Sparklehorse frontman Mark Linkous is dead. He committed suicide yesterday, March 6, although no other details have been disclosed as of this writing. He was reportedly in his forties, although no exact date of birth appears on his Wikipedia page. At the time of his death he was finishing up a new album for Anti- Records, and just this week it had been announced that the Danger Mouse-Sparklehorse collaboration Dark Night of the Soul would finally see release following the resolution of a dispute with EMI.

A statement from Linkous' family published by RollingStone.com read: "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 had struggled with depression for years. There was that notorious incident in 1996 when Sparklehorse was on tour in England when he took an overdose (possibly accidental) of valium and antidepressants and he reportedly "died" for two minutes; he was unconscious for 14 hours, cutting off circulation to his legs (leading to multiple subsequent surgeries) and also suffering a heart attack.

According to BLURT contributor John Schacht, who interviewed Linkous last year, "I liked his [sense of] humor - nice guy, very damaged though. When I hung up the phone the last time, he was walking into a therapist's in Asheville, and [I sensed] I'd never speak to him again. You could feel the weight of his depression."

Just the same, Linkous' career yielded a number of impressive peaks over the years. He got his start in the ‘80s with Virginia-based band Dancing Hoods, then gained national acclaim in 1995 with the Sparklehorse debut Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. Several other albums followed, notably 2001's It's A Wonderful Life (featuring guests Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Vic Chesnutt and others. The last Sparklehorse album appeared in 2006, Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain.

Along the way Linkous also became a producer, working with the Cardigans' Nina Persson, Daniel Johnston and others. (He helmed a Johnston tribute album, 2004's Discovered Covered, which included a collaboration between Linkous and the Flaming Lips.) In more recent years he'd settled in Hayesville, NC, several miles southwest of Asheville, and was spotted around town in Asheville on numerous occasions, sometimes checking out other bands in the local clubs. He will be greatly missed.

By way of tribute, BLURT will republish John Schacht's interview with Mark Linkous tomorrow.