Luke Bell was born in Lexington, Kentucky, but grew up in Cody, Wyoming. He was a talented country singer.

For awhile, he was couch surfing and performing in Austin, Texas, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where he recorded his first album, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” It was released in 2014. He ended up going on tour and opening for performers including Hank Williams Jr., Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam.

Bell’s goals in life were pretty simple. He enjoyed spending time with people and seemed mostly happy with his life. In 2016, he told The Boot, “To be honest, I live in the day, and I count smiles. That’s it. Listen, half the time, I end up drinking beer with my neighbors. Life’s not that bad. The downside, in some ways, is I don’t have a wife and kids, but at the same time, it’s pretty ideal right now. I just travel around to other cities and hang out with other people… The goal is to have high hopes and low expectations and have a good time.”

As he was becoming a national name, he withdrew from the spotlight. Behind the scenes, he was battling with bipolar disorder. According to Saving Country Music, “Stories would surface of unruly behavior, right beside ones about how Luke Bell could be the sweetest person you could meet. Some friends were forced to distance from him.”

One of Bell’s friends, Matt Kinman, never distanced himself from Bell. Instead, he stayed by his side, watching out for him. With medication and treatment, Bell seemed to be doing better.

Then, on August 20, 2022, in Tucson, Arizona, Bell went missing. Kinman had left to get some food, and when he returned, Bell had disappeared. On August 29, his body was found. He was dead. He was only 32. His cause of death is currently unknown pending an autopsy.

Although not confirmed to be the cause of death, Kinman expressed concern that a recent change in Bell’s medication may have “played a role” in his disappearance and death.

Here’s Luke Bell covering John Lennon’s Jealous Guy:

News of Bell’s death has impacted the country music community. Multiple friends and musicians have expressed their grief at his loss.

Country band Mike and the Moonpies wrote on Facebook that they were “heartbroken” at the news of Bell’s death. They added, “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.”

Erin Rae also tweeted that she was “heartbroken” at hearing Bell had died.