The Mars Volta's Ikey Owens dead at 39

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Keyboard player was on tour with Jack White when he died of heart attack

Former Mars Volta keyboard player Isiah 'Ikey' Owens has died at the age of 39.

Owens was working as part of Jack White’s touring band in Mexico when he died. According to Periodico Digital, his body was found in a hotel room along with a small amount of marijuana.

The coroner has since blamed his death on a heart attack.

White has cancelled his remaining Mexican dates as a sign of respect.

White says: “It is with great sadness that we tell the world of the passing of the incredible musician Isaiah ‘Ikey’ Owens. He will be missed and loved forever by his family, friends, bandmates and fans.

“Ikey Owens was an astounding keyboard player in Jack White’s backing band. He also played with The Mars Volta, Free Moral Agents, and many other projects.

“Out of respect for Ikey, the remaining shows of the Jack White Tour in Mexico have been cancelled.

“We will all miss you Ikey. You were and are an incredible artist.”

Owens appeared on most of The Mars Volta’s albums and also guested on Mastodon’s current record Once More ‘Round The Sun.

Stef Lach

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.