2010年 Mar 18日 Thursday, 18:24

On a similar wrong foot that the winter Olympics began on (when the luge slider died), SXSW experienced its own tragedy the day before the event. This untimely death wasn't as haunting, but equally saddening. Alex Cilton of the rock/pop group Big Star passed away (from an apparent heart attack) just days before he was scheduled to speak on a panel and perform a showcase at SXSW. He was 59 years old.

As as singer, guitarist and songwriter, he was best know for his 1967 hit "The Letter" with Box Tops and his work with Big Star. The group released three albums in the early '70s and reunited in 1993. They eventually released a fourth album in 2005 and the 98-song box set Keep an Eye on the Sky just came out this past September.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD9mCp8SifM

Listen to Alex Chilton with Big Star