Very sad news arrived Saturday evening that Mark Linkous aka Sparklehorse has passed away. The cause of death was suicide. The terribly tragic news is not that much of a surprise as Linkous battled depression for years and had a history of drug and alcohol dependency. In October, he released a collaborative album with Fennesz for the In the Fishtank Series and his controverisal collaboration with Danger Mouse, entitled Dark Night of the Soul, is finally set for an official realease this summer.

On the official website, his family has left this messsage:

It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.

Sparklehorse was not prolific, but the four studio albums that he released are all surreal and wonderful. In fact, his 2001 record, It’s a Wonderful Life, is truly one of the best releases of the past decade. R.I.P., Mr. Linkous. We’ll miss you dearly.

Here’s Sparklehorse’s “Sick of Goodbyes” from the brilliant album Good Morning Spider:

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbDzob84Tok]