Seadogs alerted me earlier today to the sad news that Texas singer-songwriter Chris Whitley passed away last Sunday. He was 45 years old:
Chris Whitley, a chameleon Houston singer-songwriter who oscillated between roots rock 'n' roll, blues and alt-rock, has died. He was 45.
Whitley passed away Sunday evening, according to a message posted on his Web site by his daughter, Trixie Whitley.
Specifics were not available today. "No one saw this coming," his publicist of several years, Ben Sterling, told The Associated Press.
The singer was surrounded by his family and girlfriend before passing away, according to his Web site.
I confess to having lost track of Whitley since moving away from Texas in the mid '90s and then moving back. Many of my friends had copies of 1991's Living With the Law and Terra Incognita, among others, and we grew to love Whitley's singular style. I wish I'd seen him live one more time these past few years when he'd made appearances at the Continental Club, but there you are. Things always come up, and chances slip away without our ever knowing it.
Adios, Chris.