Music Indie rock veteran David Berman, of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, dies at 52 By Tyler Aquilina Tyler Aquilina Tyler Aquilina is a former digital writer at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 7, 2019 08:37PM EDT Photo: YouTube David Berman, a veteran of the indie rock scene known for founding the band Silver Jews, has died. He was 52. A cause of death has not yet been announced. Berman’s longtime record label Drag City confirmed his death Wednesday on Twitter, writing, “We couldn’t be more sorry to tell you this. David Berman passed away earlier today. A great friend and one of the most inspiring individuals we’ve ever known is gone. Rest easy, David.” The singer-songwriter formed Silver Jews in 1989 with Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich of Pavement. The band released six albums between 1994 and 2009 when Berman announced his retirement from music and dissolved the group. He was the only permanent member of the band during its existence. Earlier this year, Berman returned to music, re-emerging with a new band called Purple Mountains. The group released a self-titled debut album in July and had scheduled a tour of North America to begin Aug. 10. Related content: Stars we lost in 2019