Ten Reasons Jay Reatard Was Cool

Memphis-based punk rocker and general shit disturber Jay Reatard has died at age 29.

Reatard's (real name Jimmy Lee Lindsey) passing was rumoured all over Twitter and the internet on Wednesday (Jan. 13), and was confirmed by Memphis-based Goner Records, that afternoon.

Reatard reportedly died in his sleep on Tuesday (Jan. 12) night. He was found dead in his bed at home in Memphis on Wednesday morning and Memphis police have opened an investigation into his death, according to The Commercial Appeal.

Rather than dwell on the sadness of Reatard's passing, we here at CHARTattack prefer to celebrate what made him awesome. Here are 10 reasons why Jay Reatard was cool:

1. Reatard caught the attention of Goner Records at the young age of 15, when he sent the label his demo tape. Eric Friedl, the label's owner and former member of the Oblivians, immediately signed him to the label.

2. The musician's first ever release was the seven-inch "Get Real Stupid" vinyl EP. He released it as The Reatards and played guitar, sang and drummed on a bucket on the record. He later picked up a band and they released their Teenage Hate debut album in 1998.

3. Reatard was touring Europe with The Reatards at just 18 years of age.

4. Reatard fronted or was a member of a ridiculous amount of bands or musical projects throughout his career, including The Reatards, The Lost Sounds, The Final Solutions, Angry Angles, Nervous Patterns, Terror Visions and Destruction Unit.

5. Many musicians find it difficult to work on more than one project at a time, but Reatard would often be writing material for another band (or bands) while touring or working on songs for a different outfit.

6. Reatard went solo in 2006, releasing his Blood Visions debut solo album that same year. It was followed by a seven-inch singles series on Matador Records in 2008. They were later collected on the Matador Singles '08 LP.

7. Reatard didn't just record punk rock. He described Watch Me Fall, his first album for Matador, as a record that featured songs that drew a lot from Scottish twee music and said it would feature organ, mandolins, a cello and much more harmonies than his previous work.

8. Reatard appeared on a tribute album for New Zealand musician and cartoonist Chris Knox. Yo La Tengo, Will Oldham, Bill Calahan, Guided By Voices, The Mountain Goats, Lambchop, Dinosaur Jr.'s Lou Barlow and Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Magnum are among the artists slated on the album, Stroke. Reatard was to collaborate with Knox on an album, but Knox had a stroke last year. Proceeds from the album will go towards helping Knox recover.

9. How many people can say they had a documentary made about them? How many of those people are just 29 years old?

10. He didn't take shit from anyone. Who can forget his infamous freak-out at Toronto's Silver Dollar Room in April 2008 after a fan attacked him on stage? Instead of continuing his set, Reatard decided he didn't want to put up with the hostility, packed up his equipment and left the stage. This moment will be forever remembered in Toronto rock show history. Check it out, in case you've forgotten: