Mark Linkous

Frederick Mark Linkous /ˈlɪŋkəs/ (September 9, 1962 – March 6, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as leader of Sparklehorse. He was also known for his collaborations with such artists as Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Daniel Johnston, Cracker, Radiohead, Black Francis, Julian Casablancas, Nina Persson, David Lynch, Fennesz, Danger Mouse, and Sage Francis.

A member of the 1980s indie band the Dancing Hoods, Linkous moved with the group from his native Virginia to New York City and later Los Angeles in hopes of achieving mainstream success. By 1988, the band had failed to land a major record label deal, and it disbanded, with Linkous returning to Virginia, where he began writing songs under various monikers.

By 1995, he created a project named Sparklehorse, of which he remained the only permanent member. The band released a quartet of critically acclaimed albums: on Capitol Records, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, Good Morning Spider, and It's a Wonderful Life; and on Astralwerks records, Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain. Linkous lived the last years of his life in Hayesville, North Carolina, where he established Static King Studio. He died by suicide in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 6, 2010.