Country music singer Luke Bell found dead at age 32
The singer-songwriter's close friend and fellow country artist Matt Kinman said that he had gone missing on Aug. 20
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Country music star Luke Bell has died, Tucson, Arizona, police authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital. He was 32.
An authority with the Tucson Police Department said that officers had responded to a report of an "unresponsive" male near the 5500 block of E. Grant Road on Aug. 26 just before 1 p.m. local time.
Officers, along with the fire department, began to render aid to the unresponsive male before he was pronounced dead at the scene. On Aug. 29, the deceased male was identified as Lucas Bell.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Country music star Luke Bell has died, Tucson, Arizona, police authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital. He was 32. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Tree Town Music Festival)
Authorities confirmed that Bell's cause of death was "unknown" and they have opened a death investigation.
On Sunday, the Saving Country Music blog reported that the "Ragtime Troubles" singer had gone missing on Aug. 20 near 4th Ave. in Tucson. According to the outlet, he was on a trip to Tucson with his close friend and fellow country recording artist Matt Kinman when he suddenly vanished.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kinman said, "We came down here to Arizona, to work down here, play some music, and he just took off. He was in the back of the truck. I went in to get something to eat. I came out, and he’d got out of the truck and left."
The blog also noted that Bell suffered from bipolar disorder. On Tuesday, Kinman confirmed to Saving Country Music that the Wyoming native had been found dead not far from where he had disappeared in Tucson.
According to the outlet, Bell was "hiding a severe battle with bipolar disorder that he ultimately would never shake" and had disappeared several times before. The website reported that he would "end up in hospitals, or at times, incarcerated."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, his condition had reportedly improved over the last year and half due to medication and treatment. However, Kinman said that there had been a recent change in Bell's medication, which he feared could have contributed to his disappearance.
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After the news of the singer's death broke, social media tributes began pouring in from his fellow country music artists and friends.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mike and the Moonpies wrote in a Facebook post, "Word just came down on the passing of Luke Bell and we’re heartbroken over the news.
"I can vividly remember the first time I met Luke at Hole in the Wall over a decade ago, down to the clothes on his back. The man (and his music) left an impression. He was a real deal traveling troubadour out there on that lost highway. Do yourself a favor and put on some Luke Bell tunes tonight in his memory. Rest In Peace, friend."
On Twitter, singer-songwriter Margo Price posted a video of Bell performing in 2015, writing, "Goddamn, rest [easy] to our dear friend, Luke Bell" along with a broken-hearted emoji.
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Bell, who hailed from Cody, Wyoming, first rose to prominence on the country music scene in 2014 with the release of his first album "Don't Mind If I Do". He was signed to the label Thirty Tigers in 2016 and gained further recognition after releasing his self-titled second album later that year.
Over his career, Bell worked with Price, Alabama Shakes, and Langhorne Slim and performed supporting slots for Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Hayes Carll, according to The Boot.