Musician Richard Swift dead at 41
Musician Richard Swift, who played as a member of popular indie bands the Shins and the Arcs, died Tuesday after a hospitalization for a “serious medical condition.” He was 41.
A post on Swift's Facebook page confirmed his death with a black-and-white photo of the artist and the words, “And all the angels sing ‘Que Sera Sera.'” Swift was a singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, playing drums, bass, guitar and keyboards for various artists, including the Pretenders, the Barr Broth- ers and Ray LaMontagne. He was a member of the Shins from 2011 to 2016, and played drums and synthesizer on the band's most recent album, 2017's “Heartworms,” according to AllMusic. Swift also joined the Black Keys on tour in 2014 to play bass, and was a drummer in the Arcs, the side project of Black Keys founder Dan Auerbach. Auerbach paid tribute to his friend and band mate on Instagram, writing, “Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He's now with his Mom and Sister. I will miss you my friend.” As a producer, Swift, who was born in California and raised in Minnesota, Utah and Oregon, worked on records for artists like Foxygen, Sharon Van Etten, Guster and Pure Bathing Culture. He also released several solo albums, including 2005's “The Richard Swift Collection Vol. 1” and 2009's “The Atlantic Ocean.” A fund-raiser launched last month on GoFundMe revealed Swift had been hospitalized for a “serious medical condition.” The page, which raised more than $87,000 to help fund his medical care, shared the news last week that the musician had been making progress in his treatment for the undisclosed condition.