UPDATE Oct. 15, 10:45 a.m.: “The coroner has determined that Ikey Owens died from a heart attack the morning of October 14 at approximately 4 am. The only drugs found in his room were a small amount of marijuana,” reads a statement from Ikey Owens’ publicist, Nasty Little Man.
keyboardist and Denver-affiliated musician has died, Owens, who performed with the Mars Volta and Free Moral Agents, had ties to the Denver music scene. He produced the the latest album, and the upcoming full-length album for .
“I’m feeling such shock,” said Wheelchair Sports Camp frontwoman and MC Kalyn Heffernan. “It was always such an honor to be in his presence because he had such a devotion to music.”
When Owens was in Colorado for White’s Red Rocks show, he met up with Heffernan and Wheelchair Sports Camp to hear the first round of mixes from the album.
“He never stopped listening to music. Even after being in Mars Volta and with Jack White, he was always looking for new bands to work with,” Heffernan said. “He really had an ear for everybody. It wasn’t just about people who had made a name for themselves. I was just so humbled that he had interest in working with us.”
With many connections throughout the local scene, Owens would perform often in Denver.
“Every time Ikey came to Denver for something else he always had other things to do,” Heffernan said. “If he came with Mars or Jack he’d do an improv show at Unit-E.”
Wheelchair Sports Camp connected with Owens through a friendship with Denver band Rubedo, which had recorded with the musician.
“He was a big mentor of ours and was always down to help us out with whatever he could. When he was in town for big shows, he would do shows with us and help us out mentally,” said Gregg Ziemba of Rubedo. “He really got the ball rolling for us to become a real band. Making albums, touring, he helped us out so much, man.”
With the announcement of Owens’ death White also shared the news that he has cancelled the remainder of his Mexico tour.
“It is with great sadness that we tell the world of the passing of the incredible musician Isaiah “Ikey” Owens,” reads a post on Jack White’s Third Man Records website. “Out of respect for Ikey, the remaining shows of the Jack White Tour in Mexico have been cancelled. “
Owens, 38, was found dead in his Puebla, Mexico hotel room, where he was on tour with White,
Along with , White filmed his video for
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Reverb’s Julio Enriquez contributed to this story.
