R.I.P. Sky Saxon

Amid the flurry of coverage of the death of a certain pop superstar, it behooves us to announce the passing of another notable musician. Sky Saxon was never a superstar on the order of Michael Jackson, but in the sphere of psychedelic garage rock, he was an icon in his own right.

Saxon will be remembered best as the leader of the Seeds, whose short career spanned 1965 to '67 and yielded only a few hits but proved hugely influential on bands for decades to follow. The band's "psychotic blues" typified the underground-rock sound of the day and is widely acknowledged as an early punk influence.

After the Seeds disbanded, Saxon carried on his musical career, forming several bands over the years and touring with various reunited versions of the Seeds. Last year, he collaborated on several songs with the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan.

Saxon, 63, died in an Austin, Texas hospital on June 25. The cause of his death has not yet been released.