Luis Vasquez Dies: The Soft Moon Creative One Of Three Found Dead In L.A. Home At 44

Bruce Haring

January 20, 2024 at 11:24 a.m.·1 min read

Luis Vasquez, the driving force behind post-punk/darkwave project the Soft Moon, died in Los Angeles early Friday at age 44, according to the L.A. County coroner.

A post on the Soft Moon’s official social media accounts confirmed the death, but no cause was given in the statement.

More from Deadline

Vasquez’s death is related to two other deaths at the Los Angeles private residence. Those two individuals were identified by the coroner as 46-year-old John “Juan” Mendez — a noted Los Angeles techno DJ also who recorded under the name Silent Servant, whose death was confirmed by his management, according to reports — and 43-year-old Simone Ling, who was reportedly Mendez’s partner. The coroner did not confirm the cause of death for any of the individuals.

“It is with great sadness that we announce our dear friend, Luis Vasquez has passed away,” read a statement on the Soft Moon’s Facebook page. “Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, friends and extended music family. We ask to respect their privacy during this difficult time…This is a huge loss and our hearts are broken.”

Vasquez started the Soft Moon as a home-recording project that evolved into a popular post-punk/darkwave project. The music, originally intended only for Vasquez and a few friends, instead saw its hypnotic sounds establish a worldwide fan base.

The Soft Moon toured with such acts as Depeche Mode, Interpol, and Mogwai, and released five albums.

Last year, the Soft Moon played the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena.

Best of Deadline

BuzzFeed
A Picture Showing The Aftermath Of A Donald Trump Rally Is Going Viral
"Hey, look, it's a metaphor for America after Trump."
Cosmopolitan
The Rise of "King William" Is Causing Chaos in the Palace and "Tearing the Royal Family Apart"
Plans for the reign of King William are causing panic in the palace and tearing the royal family apart according to the Daily Beast.
HuffPost
'Dangerously Stupid' Marjorie Taylor Greene's Milk Boast Gets Udderly Slammed Online
The far-right conspiracy theorist's "Make America Healthy Again" post received the mother of all fact checks.
The Daily Beast
Donald Trump Goes Off the Rails With Claim That Some Races Have Murder Gene
Donald Trump revealed an unhinged eugenics theory Monday, claiming during a morning rant that some migrants have “bad genes” that make them predisposed to committing murder. Trump spent a good chunk of an interview on the The Hugh Hewitt radio show slamming the policies of his political opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, and baselessly accused her of wanting to install a communist government.“She wants to [do] government housing. She wants to go into government feeding. She wants to feed pe
Barrons.com
The Dow Has Predicted 22 of the Past 24 Presidential Elections. What It Says About Trump and Harris’ Odds of Winning.
The stock market’s performance bodes well for Harris. While the stats are tantalizing, history isn’t necessarily predictive.
The Daily Beast
Giuliani’s Daughter Reveals How Dad Reacted to Harris Endorsement
Caroline Giuliani, who is the daughter of the former New York City mayor and ardent Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani, has revealed how her father responded to her endorsement of Kamala Harris.Giuliani said she has been forced to have “open conversations” with her father since she penned a column in Vanity Fair about her decision to support Harris.“He knows how I feel about all these things,” she said Sunday on MSNBC’s Alex Witt Reports. “I don’t think any of this came as a surprise. I think one thi
Hello!
Meghan Markle stuns in bold figure-hugging dress for glamorous solo appearance
Meghan Markle looked sensational on Saturday evening as she attended the LA Children's Hospital Gala. For the special occasion, the Duchess recycled her striking Carolina Herrera gown. See photos...
The Daily Beast
Tim Walz Outmaneuvers Fox News Host as He’s Grilled on Abortion
Tim Walz deftly handled Fox News’ Shannon Bream’s grilling on abortion rights during his appearance Sunday, calling her attempts to steer the conversation to whether there would be limits to how late the procedure would be allowed a “distraction.”In what was his first solo interview since becoming the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Walz keep his cool and deflect tricky questions.“I have been clear. The restoration of Roe versus Wade is what we're asking,” Walz said when Bream asked him
People
TikTok Star Taylor Rousseau Grigg Dies at Age 25, Her Husband Announces
The social media star's death was "sudden and unexpected," her husband said in an Instagram post on Oct. 5
The Daily Beast
Lara Trump Fumes as CNN Host Calls Out Donald’s Hurricane Helene Lies
CNN’s Dana Bash and Lara Trump sparred over misinformation Donald Trump has spread about funding for disaster relief in North Carolina, with the anchor refusing to let the former president’s daughter-in-law get away with ducking her questions.Bash laid into the Republican National Committee co-chair as she tried to change the direction from her father-in-law's dubious claims that FEMA is only offering a few hundred dollars to Americans who have had their homes destroyed in Hurricane Helene. “I w
CBC
Canadian doctors warned to be on the lookout for scurvy
Scurvy is a disease that likely conjures up images of sickly sailors from hundreds of years ago, but doctors in Canada are being warned to look out for the condition now, as a result of growing food insecurity. A report published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) details the case study of a 65-year-old woman diagnosed with scurvy at a Toronto hospital last year. The authors say the case points to the need for physicians to consider the possibility of scurvy, particularly
People
Bill Belichick's Girlfriend, 24, Shares Photos from Their Summer — Including Him in a Taylor Swift Sweatshirt!
The longtime NFL coach started dating the 24-year-old former cheerleader after splitting from Linda Holliday
HuffPost
Elon Musk's Unhinged Appearance At Trump Rally Gets Mocked In Memes
The tech CEO literally jumped for joy while stumping for the former president in Pennsylvania over the weekend.
HuffPost UK
Putin Just Turned 72 – And Ukraine Has Delivered An 'Unprecedented' Birthday Present
To think the Russian president had tried to play down the occasion, too.
KameraOne
110-year-old man rescued from Indian cave in viral video
A 110-year-old Indian man has been rescued from a cave near Bengaluru in India's Karnataka. The viral video, posted on X on October 3, alleged that the man was a staggering 188 years old. However, reports have since confirmed the man is 110-year-old Siyaram Baba, a famous Hindu saint from Madhya Pradesh.
INSIDER
Pete Buttigieg says he had a call with Elon Musk to talk about Hurricane Helene because 'the best thing to do is just to pick up the phone'
Buttigieg confirmed on MSNBC that he and Musk had a chat on the phone after a tense X exchange.
Deadline
Andrew Garfield Recalls ‘We Live In Time’ Sex Scene With Florence Pugh That Forced Camera Operator To Turn Away: “We Didn’t Hear Cut”
Andrew Garfield‘s onscreen chemistry with Florence Pugh might have been a little too palpable. As the Golden Globe winner discussed their new movie We Live in Time on Friday at 92NY, he recalled shooting a “very intimate, passionate sex scene” with Pugh on a closed set, which made cinematographer Stuart Bentley turn away. “The scene …
HuffPost
George Conway Sums Up A Donald Trump Tactic With 2 Words From Adolf Hitler
“That’s German. I don’t speak German, so forgive my pronunciation," the conservative lawyer told MSNBC's Alex Wagner.
The Daily Beast
‘Morning Joe’ Tells Viewers Trump Is ‘Preparing for Civil War’
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Monday claimed Donald Trump and his family are now “preparing for civil war.”Scarborough made the alarming assertion on Morning Joe after reacting to a compilation of footage from the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania over the weekend. Trump told attendees at the rally—which took place at the site where a would-be assassin tried to kill him in July—that his political opponents have stopped at nothing to try and prevent him from returning to the White
The Daily Beast
King Charles Makes Surprising Decision to ‘Pause’ Cancer Treatment
King Charles III is to “pause” his cancer treatment, understood to be a weekly regimen, for 11 days as he undertakes his high-profile royal tour of Australia next week.The king, 75, was diagnosed with cancer in February this year and has been receiving treatment on a weekly basis ever since. The palace have not said what form the therapy is taking and have not specified the type of cancer the king is suffering with.However the Daily Mail reported Monday that the monarch, 75, has been told by doc

Latest Stories