Musician Richard Swift Dies

According to Pitchfork, musician and producer Richard Swift died Tuesday morning at only 41 years old.

Swift’s death was confirmed on Instagram by former Black Keys and Arcs bandmate Dan Auerbach. Posting a picture of himself and Swift, Auerbach captioned it, “Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He’s now with his Mom and Sister. I will miss you my friend.”

In addition, a post featuring Swift’s face was uploaded to his Facebook page, reading, “And all the angels sing ‘Que Sera Sera'” and the date of his death.

Swift, who performed with The Arcs and The Shins, as well as The Black Keys, was hospitalized only a month ago in Tacoma, Washington due to a serious but unnamed medical condition, according to the Hollywood Reporter. A GoFundMe page was set up in his name to raise money to help him pay his medical bills. Now that he has passed, the GoFundMe page is now a “Richard Swift Memorial Fund” with the same goal in mind.

Lindsay Behr, who created the page, updated it this afternoon, writing, “Over the last month of his hospitalization and hospice care, the medical costs have been staggering and have put a great burden on his family. Your help—of any size—will make a difference. Thank you all for your love and support.” With a goal of $200,000, the memorial fund has raised $88,410 thus far.”

Behr also wrote, “It was this insatiable pursuit of his own ability, his need for control and creation, that spilled into his personal life, a pursuit that sadly, tragically, swallowed him up.” No one has yet revealed specifically what her statement is referring to, though it surely has something to do with his relationship with music.

As a musician, Richard toured with The Black Keys as a bassist around four years ago in 2014 and played drums for The Arcs, in addition to being a regular member of The Shins up until 2016. He also produced music as a solo artist, releasing his last album The Atlantic Ocean back in 2009. Swift spent his producing career working and collaborating with a variety of bands and solo artists, including Damien Jurado, with whom he released a “collaborative covers album” in 2016. Owner of the recording studio National Freedom, he also worked with Sharon Van Etten, Pure Bathing Culture, and the Mynabirds.

Swift leaves behind a wife and three children, his father, and his five brothers.