Prolific Memphis garage-rock songwriter Jay Reatard was found dead in his home this morning, several sources have confirmed. He was 29. Reatard's sometime label Goner Records issued a brief statement on its Web site today: "It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night. We will pass along information about funeral arrangements when they are made public."
Reatard played one of his last shows in Milwaukee on New Year's Eve. Shepherd Express writer Joe Uchill interviewed him before the show, discussing his astounding output. Reatard had been a longtime staple of the Memphis rock scene before he began steadily building a national following several years ago. His last album, Watch Me Fail, was ironically his most successful.
UPDATE: Too Much Metal Fred has videos of Reatard's Riverside performance, and the Pabst Theater Web site has great photos. I haven't been able to confirm, but it seems that this might have been Reatard's final concert.
