娱乐英语新闻:Former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh found dead in Chicago

BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Mikey Welsh, most famously known as the former bassist for the rock band Weezer, died unexpectedly in a Chicago hotel Saturday, the band said on Sunday.

Workers at the Rafaello Hotel found Welsh unresponsive and not breathing when they went to his room on Saturday afternoon after he failed to check out as scheduled, police said.

The cause of his death was not immediately known. Police are conducting a death investigation related to the case, pending autopsy results and toxicology tests. It sometimes takes two months for the results of toxicology tests.

Welsh, 40, who left the band a decade ago, had been in Chicago to attend Weezer's appearance at RiotFest on Sunday night, a concert that will go on as scheduled, the band said on its website in notifying fans of his death.

A decade ago, he had achieved fame as the bassist for the band Weezer, replacing the band's longtime bassist Matt Sharp, according to Welsh's official website.

The band remembered Welsh as a vital chapter to their history and one to never "shy away from the absurd, dangerous or strange," according to a statement on Weezer's website.

Welsh left the band in 2001 shortly after, saying he had suffered a nervous breakdown, resurfacing later as an artist and painter.

Welsh said in a posting on his Facebook page earlier in October that he was looking forward to meeting up with the band in Chicago.