Former Nine Inch Nails Keyboardist James Woolley Dead

James Woolley, who played keyboard for Nine Inch Nails from 1991 to 1994, died over the weekend, according to his ex-wife.

Kate Van Buren announced Woolley’s death in a Facebook post on Tuesday. His cause of death is unknown at this time.

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails told The Huffington Post in a statement on Wednesday:

“Terrible news regarding James. I hadn’t crossed paths with him for some time, but always thought of him fondly. He was a fun character to be around, a solid musician and a genuinely GOOD guy. Those of us from that era of the band have been sharing “James” stories... lots of laughs and love and sadness. Wishing his family the very best.”

In her Facebook post Tuesday, Van Buren wrote about meeting Woolley at a club in Los Angeles in 1991, saying “it was love at first sight.” She also reminisced about Woolley’s years with Nine Inch Nails and spoke of his work after the band, which included a stint in Rob Halford’s band 2wo and a sound design job for “The Simpsons.”

“James worked hard and played hard with NIN. He brought coolness to playing keyboards, which isn’t as easy to do as playing guitar or drums,” Van Buren wrote. “Those years were truly magical and quite an adventure. After his time with NIN came to a close, we moved into a house in Topanga Canyon, got married and started a family.”

Van Buren shared photos of her ex-husband and said he was a loving father to their three children.

“He loved being a father,” Van Buren said. “Because of significant neck and spine injuries, he wasn’t capable of doing a lot of physical activities with them, but he loved sitting down to paint, or teach piano, or just look at nature. He passed his amazing musical and artistic talents to all three children.”

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