Former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh was discovered dead in his Chicago hotel room this weekend at the age of 40.  The cause of death was undetermined pending a toxicology report.  Welsh was reportedly scheduled to check out by 1 PM Saturday afternoon, and when he didn't, the hotel's staff entered his room and found him unconscious and not breathing.

Welsh joined Weezer in 1998, playing with the band for three years until he suffered a nervous breakdown in 2001.  After leaving the band, he went on to a fairly successful career as a painter.  "I'm taking a break from music," Welsh said in an interview shortly after leaving the band.  "I really feel the need to reinvent myself and move on, and I couldn't be happier painting. Music is still an important part of my life, but I really have no desire to actually play it."