Country singer Luke Bell found dead at 32

Luke Bell, a country music singer who recently went missing in Arizona, has died. He was 32.

The artist behind songs like "Where Ya Been?" was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 20, and his body was found Monday close to where he disappeared, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Authorities told The New York Post they are still investigating and that Bell's cause of death is not yet known. But according to Saving Country Music, he suffered from bipolar disorder and ran off in Tucson when his friend, fellow singer Matt Kinman, went to get food.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"We came down here to Arizona, to work down here, play some music, and he just took off," Kinman, who says he had been caring for Bell for the past six years, told Saving Country Music. "He was in the back of the truck. I went in to get something to eat. I came out, and he'd got out of the truck and left."

Kinman also told Saving Country Music he was concerned a recent change in Bell's medication may have played a role. Bell, who was born in Kentucky in 1990, released his album Luke Bell in 2016, which also included songs like "The Bullfighter."

Country singer Kelsey Waldon said she was "heartbroken" over Bell's death. "A bunch of us met in Nashville when we were so young and obsessed with country music — those years were so formative," she tweeted. "He was extremely gifted & special. Go listen to Luke today. Rest In Peace now, old friend."