Mikey Welsh is best known as one of the three bassists for Weezer. His time with the band was notable because it marked their return after a hiatus. With bassist Matt Sharp, the band released their massively successful debut album in 1994, often referred to as The Blue Album. In 1996, Weezer followed up with Pinkerton, which was considered a commercial failure at the time. Ultimately, Pinkerton has become a cult classic, but at the time, the band felt discouraged. They went on hiatus after a supporting tour for Pinkerton, where each member focused on other projects.
Frontman Rivers Cuomo created the Rivers Cuomo Band, which featured bassist Mikey Welsh. The band was soon renamed Homie. Weezer’s original bassist, Matt Sharp, had already launched his own group in 1995, The Rentals. Weezer never broke up during this period, and they unofficially regrouped in 1998. By this time, Matt Sharp either left the group or was fired; it’s unclear which. He then focused all of his attention on his own band.
Following this and the disbandment of Homie, Weezer worked on new material throughout 1999. Mikey Welsh replaced Sharp as bassist, and the band made a silent return in June 2000. They fully returned to the mainstream spotlight in May 2001 with the release of the band’s third album, The Green Album. The album generated huge hits for the band, “Island In The Sun” and “Hash Pipe”. With this release, Weezer finally lived up to the success of their 1994 debut.
Mikey Welsh Leaves Weezer
Though the band was back at full force, Mikey Welsh wasn’t handling success as well as the others. Success took a serious toll on Mikey Welsh’s mental health. In August 2001, he suffered a severe mental breakdown from the pressure of the band, mixed with drug abuse. He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a drug overdose, which is believed to have been a suicide attempt. He later revealed that he suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. After his recovery, Welsh officially stepped away from the band and the music industry to dedicate his time to visual art and painting.
Exactly ten years after this mental breakdown, Welsh posted an eerie prediction on Twitter. On September 26, 2011, he tweeted, “Dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). Need to write my will today”. He quickly followed up with “Correction, weekend after next.” Soon after, he traveled to Chicago to attend Riot Fest and to see former bandmates.
Tragically, on October 8, 2011, Mikey Welsh was found unresponsive on the floor of a hotel room at the Raffaello Hotel. Authorities found no foul play, and the investigation later concluded that Welsh died from a drug overdose, which can induce cardiac arrest. Sadly, Welsh’s prediction became a tragic reality.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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