Longtime Ministry sideman and prolific industrial guitarist E. William Tucker killed himself at his apartment in Chicago this past Friday (May 14). He was 38. Initial reports indicate that he had taken pills and afterwards slit his own throat. His body was discovered by his roommate, along with a 10-page suicide note, which has not been made public at this time.

Many around Tucker speculate that he may have been looking to escape from the pain of an unknown illness that had hounded him for the past few years. Dannie Fleisher of WaxTrax! Records is currently planning a memorial in his name.

Known primarily for his session work for Al Jourgensen and Ministry, Tucker had enjoyed a long and fruitful career on his own. Growing up in New Jersey, Tucker formed Regressive Aid with future Rollins Band members Andrew Weiss and Sim Cain, a brilliant progressive rock/funk group that still retains a loyal fanbase. He gave guitar lessons in the area, most notably to Mickey Melchiondio, aka Dean Ween of Ween. In an interview, Aaron Freeman, aka Gene Ween, declared that Tucker taught Mickey “everything he knew about the guitar, as bad as it could sound and as good as it could sound.

” Enjoying a local hit with “(I Love) The Sound of Machines” under the name the Swinging Pistons, he caught the attention of Jourgensen, who invited Tucker to play guitar on The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. Tucker moved to Chicago, and toured at points with the Revolting Cocks and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.

Collaborating with Revolting Cocks vocalist Chris Connelly, Tucker revealed a softer side of himself on recordings released under Connelly’s name. He was scheduled to tour with Ministry for their upcoming album, The Dark Side of the Spoon, at the time of his death.

— Justin Hampton