Jay Reatard Has Died

According to a post by Memphis-based Goner Records, Memphis musician Jay Lindsey, better known as Jay Reatard, died in his sleep last night. He was 29.

The statement from Goner reads: “It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. We will pass along information about funeral arrangements when they are made public.”

Brooklyn Vegan had posted a story earlier today about rumors of Reatard’s death, plus there were various Twitter feeds that had mentioned it – but the news was made official this afternoon.

According to The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, the police have opened a death investigation. Lindsey was found around 3:30 a.m. in his bed, spokesman Jennifer Robinson said. Lindsey lived in the Midtown neighborhood in Memphis.

The cause of death isn’t known as of yet.

Reatard’s most recent label, Matador, also issued a statement:

“We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist.

We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.”

The garage-punk rocker hit the scene as a solo artist in 2006 with Blood Visions. His most recent album, Watch Me Fall, was released in August 2009 on Matador records. Reatard also released music as a member of The Reatards and Lost Sounds.