Sparklehorse's lead singer dies

Sunday, March 7, 2010 – The lead singer of alt.-country band Sparklehorse, Mark Linkous, committed suicide on Saturday in Knoxville at 47.

The New York Times reported that his manager Shelby Meade said Linkous shot himself in the heart in an alley outside a friend's home.

Sparklehorse released four adults between 1995 and 2006. While never getting mainstream success, the band earned good reviews with a merging of alt.-country and Beatles flavored songs.

Frederick Mark Linkous was born in Arlington, Va. in 1962. He moved to New York after high school, forming the band the Dancing Hoods. After moving to Los Angeles and failing to get his music career moving, he went back to Virginia and formed Sparklehorse.

Sparklehorse discs included the 1999 album "Good Morning Spider" and "It's a Wonderful Life," from 2001.

In 1996, Linkous collapsed in a hotel room after consuming Valium and antidepressants. He briefly went into cardiac arrest prior to being revived, and due to leg injuries, he was wheelchair bound for six months. His legs recovered, although not completely.

Linkous had almost finished a new Sparklehorse disc at the time of his death.