UPDATE Vic Chesnutt 1964-2009 R.I.P.

Much loved Athens singer-songwriter passes away following an overdose of muscle relaxants; had been in a coma since early yesterday.

By Fred Mills

 Vic Chesnutt, 45, passed away this afternoon, following a suicide attempt Wednesday evening that left him in a coma. Initially, friends and family were notified and word gradually got out via his friend and  fellow musician Kristin Hersh, who Twittered the news (see below), which rapidly spread across the internet. Chesnutt's family confirmed that he was indeed in a coma, as did his record label, Constellation (see below). Late last night a close friend of Chesnutt's, Maureen McLaughlin, posting to an Athens, Georgia, music-related message board, added this update:

"Here is an update on Vic: he took 100 pulls of an anti-spasm medication. The pills were in his system at least 9.5 hours before Tina found him unresponsive. He stopped breathing for a period of time, which may have caused brain damage. if he lives through the night, further testing will be done in the morning. S...end your prayers and good wishes to Vic, [wife] Tina, and his family: Lis, Lorenda & Pete and their children Ethan and Emma."

This morning news outlets began reporting that Chesnutt did not make it through the evening, but with no confirmation coming from the family or label, several of them, including Billboard, deleted the information from their websites. Starting a couple of hours ago, however, confirmation finally came and it was reported at both the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly.

Wrote EW: Vic Chesnutt died today at age 45, the head of his label tells  [us]... Some reports have said Chesnutt attempted suicide before the coma, but the cause of death has not been announced. A statement on Constellation Records' official site reads in full: ‘Surrounded by family and friends, Vic Chesnutt died in Athens Georgia this afternoon, Friday 25 December at 14:59. In the few short years that we knew him personally, Vic transformed our sense of what true character, grace and determination are all about. Our grief is inexpressible and Vic's absence unfathomable. We will make more information available according to the wishes of Vic's family and friends.'"

Added the NYT:  "[Chesnutt] died on Friday in a hospital in Athens, Ga., a spokesman for his family said. He was 45 and lived in Athens. He had been in a coma after taking an overdose of muscle relaxants earlier this week, said the family spokesman, Jem Cohen."

Chesnutt's musical career has been long and not without incident, including struggles with substance abuse and previous suicide attempts. However, his musicality and resilience left him loved and respected across the board by the musical community, from R.E.M. and Michael Stipe, who produced his early albums; to the Cowboy Junkies, who enlisted his help a couple of years ago when they remade their classic album The Trinity Sessions; to Elf Power, who collaborated with him on the 2008 album Dark Developments. There was also a 1996 tribute album, Sweet Relief II, featuring R.E.M. Madonna, Smashing Pumpkins, Indigo Girls and others.

2009 saw the release of two album, At the Cut and Skitter on Take-Off, and just this month he was profiled on NPR by Terry Gross of "Fresh Air." The fact that he seemed on the verge of an accelerated career arc makes his death all the more tragic, and a waste. His acerbic wit and dark humor, not to mention his haunting yet to-the-point tunesmithery, will be greatly missed. Anyone who ever saw him in concert, scrunched up in his wheelchair and playing his guitar like his life depended on it - and perhaps, in one sense, it did - while alternately crooning and bawling into the microphone, will tell you this much: he was a real as they came, a genuine product of the pre-alternative era when "alternative" actually meant an alternative to everything else out there.

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Below is our initial reporting from Thursday:

Word has just been getting out that Vic Chesnutt is in a coma - according to the New York Times, the 45-year old singer-songwriter's family "has confirmed" the news but "did not say what caused the coma."

As of this writing, the NYT blog posting is the only hard news source, but that posting indicates that ex-Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh, Chesnutt's friend, began spreading the news yesterday via Twitter. Three tweets in particular, posted, respectively, 7 hours ago, 4 hours ago and 3 hours ago, make it sound like a suicide attempt was involved, although we can only hope it's some kind of cruel hoax:

no calls in the night-well, only to talk about how much we love vic-and no news is good news...if we lose him i'll have lost my equilibrium

yeah, i can tell you what i know, but no one knows much: another suicide attempt, looks bad, coma--if he survives, there may be brain damage

this time, it's real scary: *this* time, he left a note, *this* time, he asked them to call me

BLURT's prayers will be with Hersh, Chesnutt and Chesnutt's family and friends.

 UPDATE: No Depression is reporting that Vic took an overdose of muscle relaxants, but there's no indication yea or nay whether it was intentional yet, so the suicide angle remains speculation.

UPDATE: Constellation Records (Vic's label) issues brief statement this afternoon (via Access Atlanta): "Vic is in the middle of a serious medical condition. He is in a coma, but we have no statement about the specifics of the situation. His family and friends are with him. His doctors are continuing to assess his condition."