Tripping Daisy Guitarist Found Dead In Dallas

10/29/1999 7:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(10/29/99, 4 p.m. PDT) - Tripping Daisy guitarist Wes Berggren was found dead in his home on Wednesday (Oct. 27). He was 28.

Dallas Police Information Officer Gabriel Grimes tells LAUNCH what transpired. "We got a report on the 27th that Mr. Wesley Berggren had died. His wife called the police saying that she woke up that day at about 4:45 [p.m.] and Mr. Wes was already deceased in bed. She first called her father-in-law and then called the police. The police arrived and were unable to find out the reason of death. The toxicology reports have not been in yet, so all we know now is that it's an unexplained death. We've classified it as an unexplained death and there's no sign of foul play."

However, there was a bit of unusual behavior. Grimes said the couple was asleep for 16 hours. According to the officer, they went to sleep at around "12 a.m. that day with his wife waking up at 4:45 that afternoon."

Tripping Daisy hit it big back in 1995 with "I Got A Girl" off the album I Am An Elastic Firecracker. At the time Berggren told LAUNCH about his musical upbringing.

"My influences...I picked up the guitar because I was listening to Van Halen when I was really young and Eddie Van Halen struck me as a phenomenal guitar player, and so I decided to play guitar. I had been playing piano for a while since I was really young. Because my dad played piano and he taught me."

Tripping Daisy was scheduled to play a few gigs in its native state of Texas. It's unclear if the band will still play these dates.

A public memorial for Berggren is set for Saturday (Oct. 30) at the Unity Church in Dallas. Fans looking to offer their support are urged to donate money in his name to the Salesmanship Club at 400 S. Houston St., Dallas, 75202.

To read a feature on Tripping Daisy, click here.

-- Darren Davis, New York

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