Hard-living Memphis garage-rock hellion Jay Reatard—real name Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.—is dead at 29. He was found in his bed early this morning, and Memphis police are investigating.

Reatard sang loud, nihilistic, tuneful, adolescent songs about how everything is awful and there is no hope. He dropped out of the eighth grade to play rock music; his last record, Watch Me Fall, was released by Matador last year. Pitchfork has a collection of his performances; here's "I'm Watching You" live in Brooklyn in 2008.

[Photo via Flickr by Redheadwalking.]