March 18, 2013 17:10

Songs: Ohia singer Jason Molina dies from natural causes

Prolific musician passed away over the weekend (March 16)

Photo: Getty Images

Cult US musician Jason Molina has died from organ failure due to alcohol consumption.

The prolific singer-songwriter, who released material with Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co., is reported to have died on Saturday (March 16), according to US website Chunklet. Molina was known to be an alcoholic and his family pleaded for money to help pay his medical bills in 2011, revealing that their son had been in and out of rehab. Secretly Canadian, the label upon which Molina released the majority of his music, have confirmed the news on Twitter.

Our friend Jason Molina passed away from natural causes on Saturday, March 16th in Indianapolis. Please standby for a formal statement.
— Secretly Canadian (@secretlycndian) March 18, 2013

Secretly Canadian's statement reads: "This is especially hard for us to share. Jason is the cornerstone of Secretly Canadian. Without him there would be no us — plain and simple. His singular, stirring body of work is the foundation upon which all else has been constructed. After hearing and falling in love with the mysterious voice on his debut single “Soul” in early 1996, we approached him about releasing a single on our newly formed label. For some reason he said yes. We drove from Indiana to New York to meet him in person and he handed us what would become the first of many JMo master tapes. And with the Songs: Ohia One Pronunciation of Glory 7” we were given a voice as a label."

Molina held a cult status in the music industry and released 10 albums as Songs: Ohio including a release on Bonnie 'Prince' Billie's Palace Records plus a further three albums under the name of Magnolia Electric Co. The Chunklet report breaking the news of his death states: "Even with all of his friends never leaving his side, he cashed out on Saturday night in Indianapolis with nothing but a cell phone in his pocket with only his grandmother's number on it. Of course, she was the first to be dealt the tragic news. Jason leaves behind him an enviable body of work that will be continually rediscovered because what Jason wrote wasn't fashion. It was his heart. It was his love. It was his demons. And ultimately, it brought his life to an end."

The last fans heard from Molina came via Magnolia Electric Co.'s website in May 2012 when he wrote a blog post talking about writing new material and his treatment for alcoholism. It is believed Molina was working on a family farm at the time of his death. Molina's last album 'Autumn Bird Songs' was released in 2012.

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