Sparklehorse Frontman Mark Linkous Commits Suicide

Singer Mark Linkous, the frontman for the US band Sparklehorse, took his own life this weekend, according to a statement from his family released to Rolling Stone magazine late Saturday evening.

In the statement, his family said:

"It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member Mark Linkous took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There's a heaven and there's a star for you.

Born in Virginia, Linkous is considered by many to be somewhat of a hero in the US alternative rock scene, after four his acclaimed Sparklehorse albums. Over the years, he has also collaborated with the likes of Danger Mouse, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits. His first Spaklehorse album, "Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot", was released in 1995.

The following year, Linkous officially "died" for two minuted after he ingested a dangerous combination of antidepressants and Valium while he was on the road supporting Radiohead during a tour of the UK. Fortunately, he recovered, but the incident nearly left him paralzyed. Linkous had been lying unconscious for 14 hours before he was discovered, and circulation to his legs had been cut off. When the doctors tried to straighten his limbs, he suffered a heart attack. Doctors had to perform seven surgeries to save his legs.

After that scare, Linkous then went on to record "Good Morning Spider" in 1999, "Its A Wonderful Life" in 2001, and "Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain" in 2006.

Prior to taking his own life, Linkous had been working on a new Sparklehorse album. It was due to be released on the Anti- record label.

In 2009, Linkous teamed up with producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and director David Lynch, on a multimedia collabration entitled "Dark Night of the Soul". It was made available online ahead of its official release this summer.

Linkous' exact age is not known, but we do know that he was in his forties.