Luke Bell. Courtesy Amazon Music/YouTube
Country singer and songwriter Luke BellHe died just over a week after he disappeared on a trip in Arizona. He was 32.
Bell’s friend and fellow musician, Matt Kinman, confirmed the sad news to the Country Music Saved blog on Tuesday, August 39, just hours after new broke that the “Where Ya Been” singer had gone missing. According to the outlet, Bell — who had bipolar disorder — went missing in Tuscon, Arizona, on August 20, when he seemingly vanished while Kinman was grabbing something to eat. Nine days later, his body was found near his last known location.
A cause of death official has not been reported.
After the news broke, several of Bell’s contemporaries shared their condolences on social media. “Goddamn, rest east to our dear friend, Luke Bell 💔,” Margo PriceTwitter:
Joshua Hedley shared similar sentiments on his own account: “Man … Luke Bell … what the f–k. RIP to a real one,” he wrote. “Been a long time since I saw him and I was just talking about him the other day wondering what he’s been up to. Truly a sad night for country music.”
Mike and the Moonpies, a country band, also remembered the musician via Facebook. “Word just came down on the passing of Luke Bell and we’re heartbroken over the news,” they wrote in a statement on Tuesday. “I can vividly remember the first time I met Luke at Hole in the Wall over a decade ago, down to the clothes on his back. The man and his music made an impression. He was a great traveling troubadour down that lost highway. Do yourself a favor and listen to Luke Bell tunes tonight in honor of him. Rest In Peace, friend.”
After starting a band in college, and performing for years in bars and honky-tonks, the Wyoming native received critical acclaim after his debut album was released in 2016. Bell quickly earned support gigs for country legends like Waylon Jennings. Willie NelsonAnd Dwight Yoakam and worked with some of Nashville’s biggest names over the course of his career.
“To be honest, I live in the day, and I count smiles,” Bell told The BootIn a 2016 interview. “That’s it. Listen, half of the time I end up sharing beer with my neighbors. Life’s not that bad. The downside, in some ways, is I don’t have a wife and kids, but at the same time, it’s pretty ideal right now. I just travel around to other cities and hang out with other people … The goal is to have high hopes and low expectations and have a good time.”
Despite his success — and returning to the studio to record a follow-up album that same year — Bell quickly disappeared from the spotlight as he battled mental illness. Kinman was released after years of erratic behavior, multiple hospital stays, and numerous jail stints. Country Music SavedBell had made significant progress over the past year and half thanks to a new medication.
Bell released his final single, “Jealous Guy,” in January 2021.
