Richard Swift of the Shins and The Black Keys has passed away at the age of 41. He died on Tuesday, July 3, in Washington.
The sad news was confirmed to the press by his representative through a post on Facebook. As of this writing, the cause of death has not been revealed yet to the public.
"And all the angels sing 'Que Sera Sera,'" the post reads.
Swift had played as the keyboardist for the Shins, bassist for The Black Keys, as well as founding member and drummer for the Arcs. He was also a solo recording artist who has released a couple of albums.
He also worked with Ray LaMontagne, Guster, Damien Jurado, Sharon Van Etten, Foxygen, Pure Bathing Culture, and many others.
Richard Swift Health Issues
Last month, representatives of the multi-instrumentalist revealed that Swift has been brought to the hospital due to a "life-threatening condition." Details about his illness have not been revealed to his fans, but GoFundMe campaign was launched in his behalf to raise money that will help pay for his medical expenses.
"He is receiving excellent care in Tacoma, Washington and everything is being done to allow his body time to repair and heal," his friend Lindsay Behr wrote at the time.
The GoFundMe campaign has been turned into a memorial fund. Behr is hoping to raise $200,000 to help his wife and children pay for the remaining hospital bills.
Bandmates, Fans Pay Tribute To Richard Swift
In a post on Instagram, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys mourned the death of his bandmate whom he calls "one of the most talented musicians" he knows.
Friends in the industry and fans also paid tribute to Swift, an important figure in indie rock.
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.
1,590 Likes, 159 Comments - Easy Eye Sound (@easyeyesound) on Instagram: "Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He's now with his Mom and Sister. I..."
I have to share this with you all, Swift and I formed a fake christian rock band called GODGAVE. we made a short music video and it was one of the most fun moments of my whole life. Richard tried to show me how to genuflect and i failed. i miss you.https://t.co/RO4b8K550D — Eric Slick (@ericslickmusic) July 3, 2018
Richard Swift-41-What a brilliant musical and artistic mind we have lost! May your travels onward be gentle and light. There have been many highlights to recording both of my records, and one of the greatest was being in the room and working with you. pic.twitter.com/aVbQctktz1 — Valerie June (@TheValerieJune) July 3, 2018
Richard Swift was a great musician but he pretty much peerless when it came to his production work. Everyone I know who worked with him basically made their best album, got creatively reenergized, and had nothing but great things to say about him in the process. RIP. — lifelong france soccer fan (@JoshhTerry) July 3, 2018
rip richard swift :-( way too young — Whitney (@whitneytheband) July 3, 2018
A quick thing about Richard Swift, one of those rare savants who had a complete grasp on what he wanted music--his and others--to sound like. He was enamored of 60s studio tactics, but not limited to them. He could make any LP he touched sound like it'd been around forever. — Eric Harvey (@ericdharvey) July 3, 2018
R.I.P. to Richard Swift. His records are incredible and his stretch of albums with Damien Jurado were a huge influences on the start of this band. He had an unbelievable ear for sound. What a huge loss to the world. pic.twitter.com/Py3Zh0fCaF — Fragile Canyons (@fragilecanyons) July 3, 2018
He is survived by his wife Shealynn, his children Madison, Adrian, and Kennedy, his dad Enrique, and his five siblings.
