Luis Vasquez, known as musician The Soft Moon, dies at 44

Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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Jose "Luis" Vasquez, the California musician who made music under the name The Soft Moon, has died, a representative confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday. He was 44.

His death was shared by his manager, Marco Rapisarda. In social media posts released by Rapisarda on The Soft Moon's account, he asked fans to respect family and friends' "privacy during this difficult time."

"If you have a memory of Luis, no matter if you were a close friend of his or not, please feel free to share," read a text post on Instagram, captioned with a broken heart emoji. "This is a huge loss and our hearts are broken."

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A post shared by The Soft Moon | Luis Vasquez (@the_soft_moon)

Vasquez was among three people "found unresponsive" on the afternoon of Jan. 18 at a downtown Los Angeles residence, a representative for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner's office told USA TODAY in an email Monday. John "Juan" Mendez, 46, and Simone Ling, 43, have also died.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mendez was a popular Los Angeles DJ who performed as Silent Servant. The medical examiner's office has deferred releasing the cause of death for Vasquez, Mendez and Ling.

"It may take three to six months before the final determination is made," according to the representative.

The Soft Moon was set to perform international shows this year

The post-punk artist was set to perform shows and festivals in Denmark, Georgia, Turkey and Greece next month, as listed on his website.

The multi-instrumentalist was born in Los Angeles and got into music after his grandfather bought him a guitar at age 12. He started his first band by the age of 15, according to a biography on Spotify.

The artist released five albums as well as a number of remix and instrumental projects and EPs, in addition to an album under his birth name. Vasquez made his music debut in 2010 with his self-titled album "The Soft Moon." His latest project, instrumentals from his 2022 album "Exister," was released in December 2023.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luis Vasquez dead: The Soft Moon musician was 44