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Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, 1962-2010
Mark Linkous, the mercurial singer/songwriter/guitarist who recorded under the name Sparklehorse, committed suicide on Saturday, March 6, according to the musician's family. Over the course of five albums and numerous other releases, Linkous collaborated with everyone from David Lowery of Cracker to PJ Harvey and Tom Waits. Most recently, he worked with filmmaker David Lynch and producer Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, on a project called "Dark Night of the Soul," which was never officially released due to legal disputes with Linkous' label, EMI.
Linkous struggled with depression for much of his life and suffered from health problems caused by a near-fatal overdose of Valium and anti-depressants in 1996. Rolling Stone reported that the North Carolina-based artist had recently relocated to Knoxville, Tenn., and was nearing completion of a new album.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a spokeswoman for Linkous confirmed that he took his own life with a gun in Knoxville on Saturday. He was 47.
