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Wesley Willis dies at 40

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After receiving treatment in June for internal bleeding due to chronic myelogenous leukemia, Wesley Willis stayed in hospice care until he passed away Aug. 21. He was 40.

Willis dominated a certain niche of the Chicago music scene, and he will be sorely missed. He is and probably will always be the only 6-foot-5 schizophrenic black man to truly rock the hell out of a cheap Casio keyboard while singing songs with such colorful titles as “Suck a Caribou’s Ass” and “Casper the Homosexual Friendly Ghost.”

Willis was an incredibly prolific artist with more than 50 albums recorded in his life. He has released albums for both American (Rick Rubin’s label) and Alternative Tentacles (former Dead Kennedys’ frontman Jello Biafra’s label). In the early ’90s, he and his band, The Fiasco, released the well-received Spookydisharmoniousconflicthel, with its breakout single, “Steve Albini,” a wailing distortion ballad about the renowned Chicago musician and Nirvana producer.

Willis wrote about his countless musical and spiritual heroes with an often searing truthfulness, and his simple and many times repetitive lyrical poetry has been hailed as both base nonsense and pure psychological genius. Either way, Willis left his mark. For those unfamiliar with his work and looking for a broad sampling of his unique and unforgettable music, Alternative Tentacles has released two career-spanning compilations, and a third greatest-hits compilation will be available Oct. 7.

— Chris Ewing, Associate ArtsEtc. editor