New wave / power-pop musician Tommy Keene has passed away, aged 59.
A post on the cult singer-songwriter’s official website confirmed Keene had “passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday (November 22).”
Over his 40-year career, Keene released 12 full-length albums and signed deals with labels Geffen and Matador Records. In this time, he collaborated with the likes of the Goo Goo Dolls and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck. His career began as a guitarist in Washington D.C. bands, including the Rage and the Razz, and after launching as a solo artist in 1982, he broke through with 1984 hit ‘Places That Are Gone’.
A collection of his finest solo work, ‘Tommy Keene You Hear Me: A Retrospective 1983-2009’ was released in 2010. In his final years, he continued to release solo records, his last being 2015’s ‘Laugh in the Dark’.
Tributes have appeared online from some of Keene’s friends and previous collaborators.
In loving memory of Tommy Keene https://t.co/2bEe2HiUvQ pic.twitter.com/uOnQMZHVAs
— Guided By Voices (@_GuidedByVoices) November 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/LenKasper/status/933847997242331136
His official site reads: “Keene is survived by his longtime partner, Michael Lundsgaard, his father Robert Keene, step-mother Dorothy Keene, brother Bobby Keene, nephews Hunter and Jason Keene, and his beloved dog, Coco.”