Magnolia Electric Co. Frontman Jason Molina Has Died

Jason Molina, an extremely prolific singer-songwriter who has released albums under his own name, the moniker Songs: Ohia, and as the frontman for the band Magnolia Electric Co., passed away on Saturday. The news comes via Chunklet, but the post in which the news was announced has been removed. Via Pitchfork, who quoted the original blog post, Molina died from organ failure related to alcoholism.

Molina had been laying low for the last two years. In September 2011 came the announcement that the singer-songwriter was in treatment on and off for years, and his increasing medical expenses had prevented him from working on music. He had been living on a working farm in West Virginia. In May of last year, Molina posted a note to the Magnolia Electric Co. tumblr thanking friends and fans for reaching out in support.

I hate taking to the internet—especially this space—to express my grief for a person I didn't know. I met Jason Molina a couple of times after the several Magnolia Electric Co. performances I had attended in Virginia and in Chicago, and he was an incredibly sweet, outgoing individual. As Jason Molina's words have always touched me in some way, this is incredibly upsetting news.

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