Daniel Johnston - Dies at age 58

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Daniel Johnston, the outsider folk artist whose childlike pleas for love captivated the likes of Kurt Cobain, Matt Groening and Tom Waits, has died. The singer died Tuesday night of a heart attack, The Austin Chronicle reported. He was 58.

Johnson had been in poor health, according to the paper. Although he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, his physical wellbeing suffered after he took a fall and was hospitalized; he also had to contend with changes in his medication routine.

The singer will best be remembered for his warbly, high tenor and simplistic ruminations on love and life on songs like “Life in Vain,” “True Love Will Find You in the End,” and “Walking the Cow.” On his best songs, his voice ached with earnestness and longing, features that attracted a number of high-profile fans. Cobain (who stated in interviews that Johnston was among the “greatest” songwriters) notably wore a T-shirt repping Johnston’s Hi, How Are You album to the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, and artists including Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, and Beck have all covered his songs.

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