Country music star Luke Bell has died at the age of 32 after being found “unresponsive” in Tucson, Arizona, police authorities confirmed.
An authority with the Tucson Police Department said officers and the fire department began to render aid to Bell before he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities confirmed the cause of death was “unknown.”
The Saving Country Music blog reported that the singer had gone missing on Aug. 20 near 4th Ave. in Tucson.
The outlet said Bell was on a trip to Tucson with his close friend and fellow country recording artist Matt Kinman before vanishing.
Kinman said, “We came down here to Arizona, to work down here, play some music, and he just took off. He was in the back of the truck. I went in to get something to eat. I came out, and he’d got out of the truck and left.”
Bell was reported to suffer from bipolar disorder.
Kinman confirmed the Wyoming native was found dead not far from where he had disappeared in Tucson.
Bell was “hiding a severe battle with bipolar disorder that he ultimately would never shake” and had disappeared several times before.
The website reported that he would “end up in hospitals, or at times, incarcerated.”
As Fox10 Phoenix reported:
Bell’s condition had reportedly improved over the last year and a half due to medication and treatment. However, Kinman said there had been a recent change in Bell’s medication, which he feared could have contributed to his disappearance.
After the news of the singer’s death broke, social media tributes began pouring in from his fellow country music artists and friends.
In a Facebook post, Mike and the Moonpies wrote, “Word just came down on the passing of Luke Bell, and we’re heartbroken over the news.
“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) left an impression. He was a real deal traveling troubadour out there on that lost highway. Do yourself a favor and put on some Luke Bell tunes tonight in his memory. Rest In Peace, friend.”
Singer-songwriter Margo Price posted a video of Bell performing in 2015, writing, “Goddamn, rest [easy] to our dear friend, Luke Bell,” along with a broken-hearted emoji.
Bell first rose to prominence on the country music scene in 2014 with the release of his first album, “Don’t Mind If I Do.”
