Mark Linkous died he was 47

Mark Linkous,died he was 47, linkous was an Arlington County-born musician who was lead singer of the indie-rock band Sparklehorse that attracted a small but devoted following, died March 6 in Knoxville, Tenn. Mr. Linkous's manager told the New York Times the singer-songwriter shot himself near a friend's home.

Sparklehorse's albums included

"Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot," "Good Morning Spider," "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain." A 1999 profile in The Washington Post described Sparklehorse's sound as a "surprisingly fecund combination of crunchy guitars and fill-the-room jangle, all narrated by Linkous's often technically manipulated carnival-barker voice and interspersed with various outtakes, answering machine messages and hum."


Mr. Linkous, who grew up around Virginia and was the son of a coal miner, moved to New York after high school and started the band the Dancing Hoods. Unable to break into the music industry in Los Angeles, Mr. Linkous soon settled in the Virginia countryside between Richmond and Charlottesville. He won increasingly greater critical recognition over the years but still struggled with attracting popular attention.


Mr. Linkous had a troubled personal history and in 1996 collapsed after taking Valium and antidepressants. His legs were injured by the fall and nearly amputated. Mr. Linkous spent months undergoing rehabilitation, which inspired his song "Saint Mary," about the hospital where he recuperated.
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