Keyboard player Isaiah “Ikey” Owens — part of Jack White‘s backing band and a longtime associate of the Mars Volta — passed away early Tuesday morning. Owens was 38.
Owens was found dead in his hotel room in Puebla, Mexico, according to a local paper. On Wednesday, White’s camp released the following statement on his cause of death:
“The coroner has determined that Ikey Owens died from a heart attack the morning of October 14 at approximately 4 am. The only drugs found in his room were a small amount of marijuana.”
In lieu of the news, White’s remaining tour dates in Mexico have been cancelled.
“It is with great sadness that we tell the world of the passing of the incredible musician Isaiah “Ikey” Owens. He will be missed and loved forever by his family, friends, bandmates and fans,” Nasty Little Man said via a press release.
“Ikey Owens was an astounding keyboard player in Jack White’s backing band. He also played with Mars Volta, Free Moral Agents, and many other projects. Out of respect for Ikey, the remaining shows of the Jack White Tour in Mexico have been cancelled.
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“We will all miss you Ikey. You were and are an incredible artist.”
Owens was also a member of De Facto, the Mars Volta’s dub reggae side project. He teamed up with White in 2012 and was working on a self-titled album, recorded in Nashville, according to a June 2014 interview.