LOUIS MEYERS,
1956-2016

SXSW started its 30th year on a sad note, as Louis Meyers—one of the beloved event's original founders—has passed away, Festival Director (and Co-Founder) Roland Swenson confirmed. Meyers was 60.

News of his passing began to travel while many of his SXSW colleagues were waiting for President Obama's keynote/conversation to begin. Initial reports point to an overnight heart attack as the cause of death, according to Austin 360.

Meyers was one of six to give bring SXSW to life in 1987, alongside Swenson, Nick Barbaro, Louis Black, Joe Rae DiMenno and Linda Owen. The genuine lover of music sold his stake in the festival in 1994, however, before moving around, stopping in New Orleans and cities across Europe and then returning home to Austin. He later served as Executive Director of Folk Alliance International for a little more than nine years, before exiting in 2014.

In an interview with Celebrity Access, Meyers cited "burnout" as his reason for cutting his ties with SXSW. "The stress of the conference, primarily the music festival, was causing health problems for me, so it was time to step aside," he explained, adding, "The growth is phenomenal, more that we ever could have envisioned in our wildest dreams. For some, it has gotten too big and for others, it's Disneyland. The entire event has taken on a life of its own and now means something completely different to everyone who attends. It still has great meaning and relevance to the music industry, it just takes a little longer to get where you want to go than it used to. That's the price of growth. I do still feel like a proud papa every March."