LD Beghtol, the Brooklyn songwriter who sang on the Magnetic Fieldsā classic LP 69 Love Songs, has died, the band announced. His cause of death was not revealed. Beghtol was 55 years old.
Raised in Clarksville, Tennessee, LD Beghtol moved to New York aged 30. He formed Flare, also known as Flare Acoustic Arts League, with guitarist Damian Costilla in 1997. Two years later, the Magnetic Fieldsā released the legendary triple album 69 Love Songs, on which Beghtol collaborated extensively, contributing vocals to beloved tracks including āAll My Little Wordsā and āMy Sentimental Melody.ā Over the years, he continued to play with Stephin Merritt in side projects including the Three Terrors.
Costilla departed Flare after the bandās debut, BOTTOM, but Beghtol kept the group together to release three more albums. He also played in the bicoastal duo moth wranglers and Brooklyn outfit LD & the New Criticism.
In addition to playing music, Beghtol worked for several years at Village Voice, designing art for the paper and hosting the podcast Uncle LDās High Bias. As a writer, he covered pop culture for outlets including Time Out New York and, in 2006, published the eclectic 33 ā entry on 69 Love Songs, which mixed studio anecdotes with an array of formal and narrative digressions.
