Any love here for Daniel Johnston ?
Daniel Johnston, cult US indie songwriter, dies aged 58
Manager confirms Johnston, whose naive songwriting was beloved of Kurt Cobain, died of a heart attack
Daniel Johnston performing in Austin in November 2013. Photograph: Gary Miller/FilmMagic
Daniel Johnston, an eccentric, enduring and much beloved figure in the US indie rock scene, has died aged 58 following a heart attack. The news was confirmed by his manager Jeff Tartakov.
Numerous cultural figures have paid tribute to the cult songwriter – once a favourite of Kurt Cobain – including Beck, Judd Apatow and Ezra Furman, who described him as “one of my best teachers”. Actor Elijah Wood wrote: “What a gentle, beautiful treasure. So sad to hear you’ve left us.”
Born in California in 1961 and raised in West Virginia, Johnston became known as a songwriter after moving to Austin, Texas. His popularity grew in the city after he started handing out tapes of his affectingly naive songwriting to people in the street, and began recording numerous albums. Cobain’s patronage prompted a bidding war to sign him, and he eventually signed to major label Atlantic in 1994, though mainstream success eluded him.