



Mikey Welsh, the former bassist of Weezer who was found dead in a Chicago hotel room on Saturday, sent a number of odd Tweets in the weeks leading to his death. In fact, just two weeks ago on Twitter he predicted the exact location and time of his own death.

A post to his Twitter account on Sept. 26 stated: ‘dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). Need to write my will today.’

He then added, "correction-the weekend after next."

This wasn’t the first time Welsh has expressed beforehand knowledge of his death. Aside from the Tweets, the New York musician-turned-artist had also mentioned it on his Facebook page underneath a showcase photo of one art piece. Welsh wrote that it was available for $250 with this caveat:

“if i am still alive at time of purchase, price to increase exponentially if I expire prematurely.’

No cause of death has been determined.

The news of Welsh’s death came from his family via Twitter and Facebook messages Sunday, which read: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Mikey Welsh passed away unexpectedly today. He will forever be remembered as an amazing father, artist and friend. May he rest in peace.’

Welsh joined Weezer in 1998 following the departure of original bassist Matt Sharp. His presence is primarily tied to the band’s 2001 album, known as the “Green Album” and played on such hits as “Island in the Sun” and “Hash Pipe.”

Weezer reacted to news of Welsh’s passing on the band’s official Twitter:

“We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear the awful news, our friend and fellow weez rocker @mikeywelsh71 has passed away. We love you Mikey.”

The year the "Green Album" was released, Welsh reportedly suffered a mental breakdown and later attempted suicide. He was also touring as a bassist for Juliana Hatfield at the time. During his music career, the list of bands Welsh played in included Verbena, Special Goodness and Homie, a short-lived side project of Weezer guitarist and singer Rivers Cuomo.

Welsh talked about the episode in a 2007 interview with website Rock Salt Plum:

“Basically, a lifetime of doing drugs and being undiagnosed as having bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder finally caught up with me when I was 30 years old,” Welsh said.

“At the beginning of a three month tour with Weezer, I started slowly falling apart.”

Following the breakdown, Welsh devoted himself to painting, and moved to Burlington, Vt., with his wife and two daughters. His style centered mostly on large-scale abstracts.

In July of this year, Welsh joined Weezer and the Flaming Lips on stage in New York, where he played guitar on “Undone.”

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--Nate Jackson

Photo: The rock band Weezer in Hollywood on April 6, 2001. From left are Pat Wilson, Brian Bell, Mikey Welsh, Rivers Cuomo.