Wes Freed, an American outsider artist whose works appeared on album covers of Lauren Hoffman and numerous American rock bands, including Cracker and the Drive-By Truckers, has died. He was born April 25, 1964 and died September 4, 2022 at age 58.
Drive-By Truckers confirmed his death on their Facebook page, saying “I know word is out. I’ll be posting something when I can. Just too damned sad right now to articulate anything.”
What happened to Wes Freed? Earlier this year, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to help Freed cover medical expenses related to his colorectal cancer diagnosis, which he received in January.
How did Wes Freed die? Though a cause of death was not given, Freed most likely died of colorectal cancer.
In 2019, three years prior to his death, Freed published a 160-page, coffee table-style tome titled “The Art of Wes Freed: Paintings, Posters, Pin-ups and Possums.”
The book is a collection of much of his art, including many of the album covers he’s done for Drive-By Truckers, as well as other bands like Cracker and artist Lauren Hoffman.
After meeting Drive-By Truckers in the late ‘90s at Capital City Barn Dance—a music festival, he co-founded—the first of their many collaborations was the artwork he created for the band’s 2001 double LP Southern Rock Opera, which featured a red-eyed owl flying over a burning field.
He later went on to design posters, t-shirts, backdrops, and other merch for the band. More so, the “Cooley Bird” character he created would become visually synonymous with the band (and guitarist Mike Cooley).
A staple of the Richmond, Virginia, rock scene, Freed also played in several local bands including the Shiners, Dirt Ball, and Mud Helmet.