Artist-Musician Mike Kelley Dead of Apparent Suicide

Renowned contemporary artist Mike Kelley, who had close and lifelong ties to the experimental rock world, was found dead of apparent suicide on Tuesday at his home in South Pasadena, California. He was 57.

Kelley grew up in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he co-founded the "anti-rock" band Destroy All Monsters (which would eventually include members of the Stooges and the MC5) in 1973. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, who used a photo of one of Kelley's trademark grimy fabric dolls on the cover of his band's 1992 album Dirty, compiled a three-disc set of Destroy All Monsters' music in 1994. 

Kelley, who had a punk performance group called Poetics when he attended the California Institute of the Arts, remained close to the music world after becoming an art-world luminary. Michael Stipe posted a tribute on his Tumblr calling Kelley a unique artist, "so way far out at the bow of things" and "loud and inimitable." 

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'Soul Train' Creator Don Cornelius Dead of Apparent Suicide

Host Don Cornelius on the set of 'Soul Train' in Los Angeles. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Don Cornelius, who created the long-running R&B and dance-music showcase Soul Train, was found dead in his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., early this morning. He was 75. Law enforcement officials suspect suicide; the body was found with a gunshot wound to the head.

Trained as a journalist on WVON, an African-American talk radio station in his native Chicago, Cornelius conceived of Soul Train during the Civil Rights movement, noting there was no showcase for black music on national television. Soul Train debuted in 1971 and quickly became a popular stop for major acts such as James Brown, the O'Jays and Michael Jackson. Cornelius hosted the show from its inception until 1993; Soul Train ended its long run in its original form in 2006.

The show had a huge influence on popular culture and the pop charts. One of its themes, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," became a hit record, and references to Cornelius and Soul Train have appeared in dozens of songs over the years. Cornelius famously closed each episode with the parting words, "We wish you love, peace and soul."

Watch Cornelius interview a young Janet Jackson on a 1986 episode of the show: 

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