
Troubled musician Jason Molina, of the cult indie-rock bands Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co., died Saturday night of organ failure associated with alcohol consumption, reports music blog Chunklet. Molina was 39. “What many of us were slow to find out is that Molina had a pretty significant drinking problem,” writes Chunklet founder Henry H. Owings, “This disease, which snuffed out his life, controlled Jason for most of the last decade.” News about Molina’s troubles broke in 2011, following a canceled tour in 2009, with a post on Molina’s website written by his family, telling fans that over the past two years, their son had done stints in rehab in England, Chicago, Indianapolis, and New Orleans. But although Molina’s family was optimistic about his chances for recovery at the time, things took a turn for the worse over the past year. After a post on Magnolia Electric Co.’s website in May 2012, Molina wasn’t heard from publicly again. His last missive read: “Treatment is good, getting to deal with a lot of things that even the music didn’t want to. I have not given up because you, my friends have not given up on me. I do still need your support however that takes shape, good vibes are worth more than you might think.”