“The trauma that he sustained could have been inflicted by him or by another, and the coroner has not been able to make a determination,” a spokesman for the coroner, David Campbell, said in December 2003. Mystery and speculation surrounding Smith’s death persist to this day, and the Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation remains open. While his death was originally considered a suicide (eerily, another one of his songs, “Needle in the Hay,” had recently been the soundtrack for a suicide attempt scene in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums), the official autopsy report was inconclusive, opening up the possibility of homicide. 21, 2003, Smith died from two stab wounds to the chest. He was only 34.įifteen years ago, on Oct. But just five and a half years after his breakthrough Oscars moment, this genius, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the past 30 years, was dead. He was already a critics’ darling, and after this exposure, he was heralded as the next big thing. But another, very un-Celine-like artist made a major impression that evening, performing his own nominated underdog ballad, “Miss Misery.” The 70th Academy Awards took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and as Madonna approached the podium to present the Oscar for Best Original Song, it seemed a given that Celine Dion’s Titanic megahit, “My Heart Will Go On,” would take the prize. *Re-printed from YAHOO!* A fond farewell: Remembering Elliott Smith, 15 years after his tragic and mysterious death

In recognition of the date, YAHOO! today ran the following story. In retrospect, it seems as memorable a scene as any part of the actual movie. This stark, beautiful song played over the closing credits of Damon and Affleck’s groundbreaking debut film, Good Will Hunting, and was so utterly perfect for the moment it’s like it couldn’t possibly have been anything else. A hopelessly tortured genius artist, unfortunately, as it (seemingly) turned out.

His sweet, breathy vocals, painfully personal lyrics, and stripped-down, mostly acoustic arrangements were pretty atypical for my usual tastes, but I quickly learned to appreciate him for the genius artist that he was. And I feel extremely fortunate that he did Smith’s songs regularly reached a level of poignancy I think few artists achieve, or probably even seek. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck brought Elliott Smith to much of the world, but my son Max brought him to me.

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