Richard Swift: The Black Keys and Shins musician dead at 41

Published: 3 July 2018

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image copyrightAlamy

image captionRichard Swift was in The Shins and performed with The Black Keys

Richard Swift, a former member of the Shins and touring bassist with The Black Keys, has died, aged 41.

A Facebook post confirmed his death saying: "And all the angels sing 'Que Sera Sera' Richard Ochoa Swift March 16, 1977 - July 3, 2018."

The musician and singer-songwriter was last month admitted to hospital with an undisclosed life-threatening condition.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach led tributes with an Instagram post saying: "I will miss you my friend".

Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He’s now with his Mom and Sister. I will miss you my friend.

A post shared by Easy Eye Sound (@easyeyesound) on Jul 3, 2018 at 6:38am PDT

The 39-year-old Black Keys singer shared a picture of him with Swift and said: "Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He's now with his Mom and Sister."

Others to pay tribute to the US musician include the Kings of Leon's Nathan Followill, who described him as his wife, Jessie Baylin's, "musical soul mate".

Richard Swift was @JessieBaylin musical soul mate and could not have been a kinder soul. There will always be a special place in our hearts and memories for the one and only Walt Wolfman. RIP Swifty
— nathan followill (@doctorfollowill) July 3, 2018

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Dave Depper from Death Cab for Cutie also tweeted, calling Swift "the most talented person I've ever met".

Richard Swift was the most talented person I’ve ever met, some impossible amalgamation of Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, and Levon Helm, beyond soulful on any instrument he picked up, and a writer of hilarious, heartbreaking, funky, psychedelic songs.
— Dave Depper (@davedepper) July 3, 2018

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

US indie band The Weeks called the news of Swift's death "pure heartbreak".

Feeling pure heartbreak for Richard Swift’s family. Such a loss for so many friends and the entire world of music. Rest In Peace.
— The Weeks (@theweeks) July 3, 2018

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Born in California, Swift led a prolific and varied career as a self-taught musician and producer.

Perhaps best known for his role with indie-rock band The Shins between 2011 and 2016, he also toured as a bassist with the Black Keys in 2014.

image copyrightAlamy

image captionSwift performing with The Shins in 2013

As a producer, he worked with Foxygen, Guster and Sharon Van Etten among others, and founded National Freedom, a recording studio in Cottage Grove, Oregon.

A collection of his solo work, The Richard Swift Collection Vol. 1, was released in 2005, under Secretly Canadian records.

His last full solo album, the Atlantic Ocean, was released in 2009.

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Richard Swift: The Black Keys and Shins musician dead at 41

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