Jay Bennett died in his sleep Saturday night at the age of 45. Best known for his work with alt country legend Wilco, Bennett was an incredible talent, an oft-described perfectionist and enthusiastic performer. It has been argued that he was the driving force behind Wilco’s expanding musical depth from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, and would frequently work in tandem with Jeff Tweedy for the songwriting of the band’s most important albums, Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Immediately after Wilco finished recording YHF, of which Bennett engineered the majority, he was dismissed from the band following rising tensions. Since then, Bennett has released five albums mostly through Undertow Music and has been a force behind the studio glass as a producer, mixer and engineer.
Bennett began his music career twenty-five years ago. He attended college at the Univesity of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and graduated with three degrees: political science, mathematics and secondary education. He was later a founding member of the Champain-based power pop outfit Titanic Love Affair. They released three albums in the 90s, the last of which overlapped with his newfound duties with Wilco. Bennett was recruited to Wilco shortly after the band released their 
debut LP, an album that seemed to be little more than a retread of Uncle Tupelo. But with Bennett alongside Jeff Tweedy, Wilco soon found themselves no longer pigeonholed as an alternative country act but began ascribing rich pop textures, keyboards and electronics to the earthy melodies. Fractures grew larger during the tumultuous recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2001 and the turmoil inevitably forced one of them out. Bennett admitted that he was saddened but not surprised in the least by the dismissal. The conflict can be seen in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, a documentary film about Wilco directed by Sam Jones.
While the cause of Bennett’s death is unknown as of now, speculation points to complications arising from Bennett’s hip problems. He first injured it during a stage dive while performing with Titanic Love Affair. It had never healed right and caused him tremendous pain off and on for years. Only about a month ago, he publicly announced on his MySpace page that he needed hip replacement surgery but could not afford it due to a lack of health care insurance. It is unclear about the debilitating nature of the injury, but pain medication could have attributed to an accidental overdose. It is all speculation now, though; I’ll wait for facts to emerge in the near future.
One of the final public acts in Bennett’s life is, unfortunately, a lawsuit he filed against Tweedy for breach of contract in regard to his work with Wilco, notably royalties for songs he wrote and for his appearance in Jones’ documentary. But Tweedy apparently holds no ill will. He and Wilco are touring in Europe right now, and in response to the heartrending news, Tweedy said, “We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him—as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band's songs and evolution. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this very difficult time.”
Back in Champaign, a Sunday barbecue party at the home of Bennett’s former roommate, musician Don Gerard, unexpectedly transformed into a wake after the news arrived. A show that night featuring other Illinois acts such as Poster Children, Lonely Trailer, the Outnumbered and Cowboy X became a tribute of sorts and a gathering of Bennett’s friends, including former Wilco bandmate, Leroy Bach. Gerard wrote in an email that, “Whether you loved him or hated him (and most of us who loved him had a hard time not hating him every now and again) there is no question he was a genius of which we will rarely see again.” He disappeared way too soon, and as it inevitably is, the suddenness of his passing coupled with his relative youth makes the event all the more shocking and sad. Rest in Peace, Jay.
Below: a music video of Titanic Love Affair's "Planet Strange" and a live performance of Wilco's "Misunderstood" from the Being There album.
