Prolific lo-fi songwriter and musician and noted visual artist, Daniel Johnston, has died at age 58.
The revered artist suffered a heart attack this week, the news of Johnston’s passing being confirmed by both his former management and the ‘Hi, How Are You Project’ today.
The Austin, Texas-based artist cultivated a strong following in the 1980s, as he began releasing music and distributing it via cassette tapes.
Watch to ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’:
By 1990, Johnston had eleven albums to his name and had been working with the likes of Steve Ranaldo and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), however his mental health had begun to deteriorate after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Propelled further into the spotlight thanks to a now iconic image of Kurt Cobain sporting the artwork for Johnston’s Hi, How Are You album on a t-shirt, Johnston signed with Atlantic Records but ultimately was dropped from the label in 1996.
In the years that would follow, Johnston worked with a variety of musicians well into the 2000s, notably with the release of 2004’s compilation release, The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered, featuring covers of his work from artists including Beck, Death Cab For Cutie and TV On The Radio.
Listen to Death Cab For Cutie’s Cover of ‘Dream Scream’:
Johnston’s last album was released in 2012 – the Space Ducks: Soundtrack – while his last tour was in 2017.
Today, the music community has been in mourning, with the likes of Zola Jesus, The Mountain Goats and Jack Antonoff taking to social media to share their thoughts.
https://twitter.com/ZOLAJESUS/status/1171883463584178176?s=20
daniel johnston will be missed. a brilliant story teller and songwriter who carried my friends and i through many over night drives in the van. so much to learn from daniel in the way he shared fearlessly.
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) September 11, 2019
Those early DJ tunes meant a lot to so many of us. “Walking the Cow” was also a favorite of mine, along with “Keep Punching Joe,” whose lyrics reference “Walking the Cow.” Rest well Daniel Johnston, you sure earned it. https://t.co/KVGvW210yB
— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) September 11, 2019
