KEY POINTS

  • Luke Bell went missing on Aug. 20 when he was out with Matt Kinman
  • The musician's cause of death is yet to be determined in autopsy
  • He had lost a few friends as he struggled with his mental health

Country music star Luke Bell was found dead in Arizona on Tuesday after he was reported missing for over a week.

Authorities found the body of the 32-year-old musician in Tucson near the location where he was reported missing on Aug. 20. Bell's close friend and fellow country music artist, Matt Kinman, revealed the sad news in a blog post on Saving Country Music.

The musician's cause of death is yet to be revealed pending an autopsy by the Pima County Medical Examiner's office.

Kinman told the music blog that Bell was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that he lost touch with a few friends due to the condition.

He also revealed that there would be periods of time when no one would hear from the "Sometimes" singer. Bell was troubled, and his behavior would land him either in jail or in hospitals, the blog revealed.

Over the past year and a half, the Texas-born musician was getting better through medication and treatment, appearing in shows and live streams with Kinman and Martha Spencer, as per the blog post. But while out in Tucson with Kinman on Aug. 20, Bell went missing as his friend was out buying food.

Following news of his death, fellow musicians paid tribute to Bell on Twitter.

"Man...Luke Bell...what the f—k. RIP to a real one. Been a long time since I saw him and I was just talking about him the other day wondering what he's been up to," Joshua Hedley tweeted. "Truly a sad night for country music."

Country singer-songwriter and producer, Margo Price also reacted to the heartbreaking news and tweeted, "Go**amn, rest east to our dear friend, Luke Bell."

Born in Lexington, Kentucky but raised in Wyoming, Bell formed a band in college but later dropped out of the University of Wyoming and moved to Austin. There, he pursued a career in country music performing in honky-tonks across the city. He later moved to Nashville where he scored a regular gig at Santa's Pub.

In 2014, Bell released his debut album "Don't Mind If I Do" on Bandcamp and went on to sign a record deal with Thirty Tigers in 2016. His self-titled album, released in the same year, received glowing praise from critics, as reported by the country music news website, The Boot.

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