Richard Swift has died at age 41. The producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter passed away Tuesday morning (July 3) in Tacoma, Washington. Aside from releasing solo music, Swift was a member of The Shins from 2011-16, was The Black Keys' touring bassist in 2014 and played drums for The Arcs, Dan Auerbach's other project, The Arcs. Earlier in his career, he played keyboards for Starflyer 59. As a producer, he worked with Foxygen, Guster, the Mynabirds, Sharon Van Etten, Damien Jurado and Pure Bathing Culture, among others.
A post on his Facebook page confirmed the news. “And all the angels sing 'Que Sera Sera,'” it read, along with his birth and death dates. See the post below.
Last month, it was revealed that Swift was in the hospital recovering from a serious medical condition. a GoFundMe was launched to help cover his medical bills.
The indie rock world mourned the loss of the beloved musician today on social media. “Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know,” Auerbach wrote alongside a photo of him and Swift on Instagram. “I will miss you my friend.” Artists and bands including David Bazan, Whitney and The Decemberists' Colin Meloy gave their farewells via Twitter. Take a look at some of the tributes below.
Photo: Getty Images