Joshua Eustis, of New Orleans based duo Telefon Tel Aviv, today announced that his friend and ‘better half’ in the band, Charles Wesley Cooper III, had passed away on 22 January at the age of 31. In a message on the band’s myspace page, Eustis paid tribute to his long term friend, who he described as ‘a total sweetheart of a guy, a loving friend and confident to people everywhere.’

John Hughes, head of Chicago-based Hefty Records, who released the band’s first two albums, also paid tribute to Cooper on the label’s website, saying that ‘Cooper was an integral part of my label, but more importantly, my life. [...] The most defining memories of my career in music were spent with Telefon Tel Aviv’.

Telefon Tel Aviv released their third full length record, Immolate Yourself, on Ellen AlLien’s BPtich Control last Monday.

No further detail was given about the circumstances of Cooper’s death.

Our thoughts are with Charlie’s family and with Joshua Eustis.

Telefon Tel Aviv | Telefon Tel Aviv (MySpace)

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