Cocaine, Alcohol Cited as Factors in Jay Reatard’s Death
Autopsy results for Jay Reatard reveal that the musician died of “cocaine toxicity” and that alcohol was also a “contributing factor in his death,” Memphis’ Commercial Appeal reports based on the Shelby County, Tennessee medical examiner’s findings. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Reatard was found dead in his Memphis home on January 13th. He was 29.
Remember more artists lost before their time.
“He was devoted to the Flying V and punk rock,” Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis told Rolling Stone. “I’ll miss Jay.” Added Matador Records founder Chris Lombardi, who released Reatard’s Watch Me Fall in 2009, “Jay was a juggernaut of amazing musical ideas. He was a genius — a nihilistic genius but a genius nonetheless.”
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• Album Review: Jay Reatard’s Watch Me Fall