Jay Bennett's death ruled an overdose

And the story gets sadder.

Looks like it was no hedonist's death for former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett, nor a suicide, but an accidental overdose arising from Bennett's attempts to treat a ruinous sore hip.
Jay Bennett was found dead in his home on May 24th of this year. And according to the Champagne, Illinois County Coroner, Bennett's body was found with a fentanyl patch on his lower back, likely to treat his chronically injured hip. Toxicology reports further indicated that lethal levels of fentanyl were present in his blood.

It was an injury that had caused him much prior devastation-- his health insurance refused to cover his treatment, calling it a pre-existing condition, and the financial ruin it brought about drove him to unsightly extremes, most notably his attempted suing of former Wilco bandmate Jeff Tweedy.

The whole thing is a nightmare, really. It's one thing when Bon Scott chokes on his vomit, or when Kurt Cobain suicides-- you hear those stories, and you're sad but not all too surprised.

But Bennett was a guy who wasn't asking for it at all-- not even one little bit. He shied from the limelight, and quietly continued his industry as a prolific songwriter, guitarist, and engineer.

As of now, the death is still being investigated as an accident. More details as they emerge.