Jack White's remaining concerts in Mexico have been called off after his 38-year old keyboard player Isaiah "Ikey" Owens was found dead in his hotel room in Puebla, reports said.
According to the latest news report published by the Los Angeles Times, Owens died from a heart attack on October 14 at around 4 a.m. The report added that a small amount of marijuana was also found in his room.
Owens, who is from California, had played in other bands including The Mars Volta, BBC News reported. He also had worked with the former White Stripes star since 2012, it added.
When asked to described Owens, White's Third Man Records label said that he was "an incredible artist."
Jack White and his backing musicians were set to perform in Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico.
White said in a statement posted on his website, Jackwhiteiii.com:
"It is with great sadness that we tell the world of the passing of the incredible musician Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens. He will be missed and loved forever by his family, friends, bandmates and fans."
He also described Owens as "an astounding keyboard player." White also said that they are going to miss Ikey and that he was an "incredible artist."
Owens received a Grammy Award in 2009 after The Mars Volta won the for best hard rock performance category, BBC News added.
Meanwhile, Fingerprints Music owner Rand Foster was quoted in a news report published by the Long Beach Post, saying that he was "speechless" upon learning what happened to Owens. The late keyboardist worked at his shop for several years.
He described Owens as a "good guy" and said that he is going to miss him. "He did endless work for the Long Beach music scene... I am still trying to get my head around this," Foster was quoted as saying.
Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy, said in the news report published by BBC that the music community has lost "a gifted and creative artist." He also remembered Owens for "creating and experimenting with new and distinctive tones".
Owens also once played in De Facto, a dub reggae band which included Grammy Award-winning American musician Cedric Bixler-Zavala, The Mars Volta former guitarist and bandleader Omar Rodríguez-López, and sound technician and vocal operator Jeremy Michael Ward. He also formed his own band which he called the "Free Moral Agents in California."
Jack White and his backing musicians were on tour in Mexico to support his latest studio album "Lazaretto."
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