LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Front-man and founding member Wayne Static, also known as Wayne Richard Well, of the Los Angeles-based metal band Static-X, died on October 31st. He was 48 at the time of his passing.
While some initial reports suggested that Wells' death may have been drug-related, his publicists subsequently released a statement saying that drugs were not involved and that Wells died in his sleep.
"The couple, known for partying heavy, had left hard drugs in 2009 and had not touched them since. Static’s first solo album – Pighammer – was a tribute to his new non-drug life and hoped it would help others to get clean from hard chemical drugs," the publicist statement, in part, said.
Wells and his wife were also preparing to depart the next day for a tour supporting Well's latest solo album, the aforementioned Pighammer.
Wells founded the influential Static-X in 1994 and remained the only consistent member of the group's changing line up for nearly two decades. The group signed with Warner in 1998 and released their debut full length album, the platinum-certified "Wisconsin Death Trip" in 1999.
The group went on hiatus in late 2009 while Wells focused on solo work, but reformed the group briefly in 2012 before it broke up again in 2013 due to illness and tensions over Wells' use of the Static-X name.
As of the time of publication, no information has been released regarding funeral arrangements. – Staff Writers
