By Bob Kurson, Jae-Ha Kim, Jim Casey
Chicago Sun-Times
June 21, 1996
Jim Ellison, whose catchy melodies and girl-crazy lyrics defined the Chicago pop group Material Issue, was found dead at his Chicago home early Thursday of carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 32.
Police said the singer-songwriter was slumped over the handlebars of a moped in his garage on the 2200 block of West Fletcher. A nearby suicide note showed Ellison to be despondent, police said, but they would not elaborate.
Though Material Issue played to tiny but faithful Chicago crowds as early as 1985, later songs including “Valerie Loves Me,” “Diane” and “Renee Remains the Same” catapulted the band to stardom.
Family and friends were unanimous in their opinion that drugs played no role in Ellison’s suicide.
“This is absolutely not like Jim at all,” said Reid Hymas, owner of Chicago Trax Recording Studio, where Ellison had recently completed work with Liz Phair on a song for the upcoming movie “Stealing Beauty.” “I can tell you this: It’s not related to his career, and it wasn’t drugs or alcohol. I’ve been told by friends of his that this was personal, probably a romantic situation.”
Ellison’s friend and former manager Jeff Kwatinetz agreed, saying, “I think he had some personal problems, (but they) did not stem from any drug or alcohol abuse.
The singer’s mother, Patricia Ellison of Bensenville, said she asked police to check on Ellison after he failed to return phone calls for several days. She expressed pride in her son’s achievements.
“We thought that what he set out to accomplish was impossible, but he showed everyone,” she said.
Ellison crafted three-minute tunes with addictive hooks and an unabashed fascination with the female form.
The success of Material Issue’s 1991 debut album, “International Pop Overthrow,” helped set the table for the national success of Chicago artists including Phair, Smashing Pumpkins and Urge Overkill. The band’s follow-up album, “Destination Universe,” was released in 1992, followed by “Freak City Soundtrack” in 1994.
In addition to his mother, Ellison is survived by his father, Walter A. Ellison; a sister, Deanna Stropoli, and his grandmother, Mary Ellison. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
