R.I.P. Alex Chilton

Legendary singer and songwriter Alex Chilton has died at age 59. While in Austin for SXSW, Chilton reportedly said he felt ill and was taken by the paramedics to the hospital, where he died. Though the cause of death has not been confirmed, Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting it was a heart attack. Chilton burst onto the scene in 1967 at the age of 16 as the lead singer of The Box Tops, who scored an international #1 hit with the song “The Letter.” In 1971, Chilton formed Big Star with Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, and Andy Hummel. While the band didn’t have huge commercial success at the time, they were widely influential, particularly in the 1980s with the emergence of R.E.M. The Big Star song “Thirteen” has been widely covered, most notably by Elliott Smith and Wilco. Included below are a couple of YouTube clips of Chilton. Sad news indeed.