Police reveal further details on The Soft Moon’s Jose Vasquez death

The Los Angeles Police Department have revealed The Soft Moon‘s Jose Vasquez, Juan Mendez, better known as Silent Servant, and Simone Ling died due to a suspected fentanyl overdose.

The trio’s deaths were announced on January 19th. Now, authorities have revealed the musicians were pronounced dead on January 18th when a welfare check was carried out at Mendez and Ling’s home at the Pacific Electric Lofts on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles after Vasquez’s wife had contacted them.

According to the Los Angeles Times, upon arriving at the scene, police found drug paraphernalia and are treating the case as a possible fentanyl overdose.

Speaking to the publication, Capt. Raul Jovel from LAPD’s Central Division said: “It‘s so sad for their families. This is a societal issue.”

Further elaborating on the fentanyl issues in Los Angeles, Jovel stated how the division sometimes deals with five overdose deaths a day. Additionally, he revealed that last year they seized 30 pounds of fentanyl and 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine.

In a statement shared on social media announcing Vasquez’s death, The Soft Moon wrote: “It is with great sadness that we announce our dear friend, Luis Vasquez has passed away. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, friends and extended music family.”

“We ask to respect their privacy during this difficult time,” the statement continues. They also said: “If you have any memories of Luis, no matter if you were a close friend of his or not, please feel free to share.”

The message concluded by writing: “This is a huge loss and our hearts are broken”.

Vasquez was the sole member of The Soft Moon and started producing music under the alias in 2009. Their debut album arrived in 2010, bringing together a multitude of genres under a dark sonic umbrella. The Soft Moon released four more full-length studio records, with their final release, Exister, arriving in 2022.

This is a developing story.

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