CHICAGO — Authorities say a drug overdose is suspected in the death of former Weezer bass player Mikey Welsh, who was found in a Chicago hotel room Saturday afternoon.
Welsh, 40, was found on the floor of his room at the Raffaello Hotel at 1 p.m. Saturday, a police spokeswoman said. Hotel staff found him.
Weezer was in town for the Chicago RiotFest, according to the band’s Web page, and Welsh was expected to catch the band’s show Sunday night.
Welsh, of Burlington, Vt., performed with Weezer from 1998 to 2001, leaving after suffering a nervous breakdown, according to the band’s website. He established himself in a second career as a painter.
“I’m taking a break from music,” he told Metro West Daily News in 2002. “I really feel the need to reinvent myself and move on, and I couldn’t be happier painting.” The Chicago Tribune
