NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) Stewart Lupton, 43, frontman for NYC-based Jonathan Fire*Eater – the predecessor to The Walkmen – has died, a family member confirmed to Pitchfork. No cause of death was released at press time.
Jonathan Fire*Eater was a big in the New York scene in the mid-90s, breaking up in 1998 (just in time to see New York acts like The Strokes rise in popularity). The rest of the band – Paul Maroon, Matt Barrick and Walter Martin – went on to form the successful act The Walkmen.
Jonathan Fire*Eater’s debut album came out in 1995, its sophomore album in 1997, and in between toured with Blur. When the band broke up, Lupton studied poetry at George Washington University, formed a band called Child Ballads that toured briefly and in 2009 released an EP with Carole Greenwood, according to Pitchfork.