Beloved singer-songwriter and Big Star front man Alex Chilton died today at the age of 59. Chilton was 16 when he joined the Box Tops, who had a No. 1 hit with “The Letter” in 1967. He went on to team up with three other Memphis musicians to form Big Star in 1972. Indicative of the impact he had on swarms of musicians, Chilton was honored by the Replacements in their 1987 song “Alex Chilton.” The cause of death is believed to have been a heart attack. [Arts Beat/NYT]
