Musician Missing Since Last Week Found Dead
CHICAGO (STNG) ―A 31-year-old Louisiana-born musician -- missing from a Wicker Park residence since an argument with his girlfriend last week -- has been found dead in the Near Northwest Side neighborhood.
Charles Cooper went missing last Wednesday night after an argument with his girlfriend. He had been staying with a friend in the Wicker Park neighborhood when he got into the argument, according to Grand Central Area detectives.
Cooper left the residence, located near 1400 N. Milwaukee Ave., before midnight on Jan. 21 and had no contact with friends or family members since, police said. He reportedly has a history of threatening suicide, but did not make such threats last week.
"Back in October, he took off for Louisiana, where he is from, for a month," a Grand Central Area detective said Sunday.
Cooper was found Monday in the 2300 block of north Lawndale Avenue, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Pronouncement information was not available and an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday to determine the cause and manner of death.
With bandmate Joshua Eustis, Cooper formed the electronic duo Telefon Tel Aviv in New Orleans in 1999, according to allmusic.com. The duo has contributed to several other projects, including remixes for a Nine Inch Nails EP. In 2001, they composed the score for the feature film "New Port South," and they had planned a tour of the United States and Europe in support of a new album.
On the band's myspace blog, Eustis wrote, "We have been friends since high school, and began making records together a decade ago. We have been so fortunate to tour the world together, while at the same time having a massive amount of laughs at one another's expense.
"Aside from Charlie's singular genius and musical gifts, I can tell you that he was a total sweetheart of a guy, and a loving friend and confidant to people everywhere. His musicianship was surpassed only by his greater gift to the world -- his warmth, his generosity, his unquenchable humor and his undying loyalty to those whom he loved."
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
