The Mars Volta’s Jeremy Ward Found Dead In Los Angeles
Wednesday May 28, 2003 @ 04:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Mars Volta

According to RollingStone.com, Jeremy Ward of The Mars Volta was found dead on May 25 in his home in Los Angeles. He was 27 years old. The cause of Ward’s death is not being disclosed at this time. Ward was the "sound manipulator" in The Mars Volta — he would add vocal and sounds effects to the band’s music. If his face is less familiar than the other members of the band its because when the band performed live, he always chose to perform offstage.

The Mars Volta were formed by Omar Rodriguez and Cedric Bixler after their old band, At The Drive-In, broke up on the cusp of super-stardom. Other members of ATDI went on to form the rock band Sparta. In 2002 the band released their first recording, The Tremulant EP. The hype surrounding Mars Volta’s formation was huge, mainly due to the widespread success of At The Drive-In's Relationship Of Command album.

Ward not only worked with The Mars Volta but also did behind-the-scenes work with At The Drive-In’s album In Casino Out and was also a driving force behind another band called De Facto.

Mars Volta just wrapped a European tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and planned on continuing to tour with the Peppers back at home in the States. The tour was in support of the release of their debut full-length album, De-Loused In The Comatorium, which is due on June 23. No word yet if the tour will be cancelled or rescheduled.

—Stephanie Forrest