Wayne Static

Dan Mitchell
Jul 25, 2020
1 min read

Updated: May 4

Wayne Richard Wells — known to music fans as Wayne Static — was born on November 4th, 1965, in Muskegon, Michigan.

In the late 1980s, Wayne moved to Chicago, where he played in a band called Deep Blue Dream alongside future Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and future Static‑X drummer Ken Jay.

Wayne (guitar/vocals) and Ken (drums) would later form Static‑X, joined by Tony Campos on bass and Koichi Fukuda on guitar. Around this time, Wayne adopted the name Wayne Static, along with the iconic spiked‑up hairstyle that became part of his signature look.

Static‑X toured worldwide, released six albums, and appeared on numerous film and video‑game soundtracks, becoming one of the defining bands of the industrial‑metal era.

After the band dissolved, Wayne focused on his solo project Pighammer, exploring a heavier, more experimental sound.

Wayne Static died on November 1st, 2014, due to an apparent drug overdose.

A few years later, the remaining members of Static‑X reunited to honour Wayne’s legacy, touring with a masked, unnamed vocalist known as Xero.

On January 13th, 2016, Wayne’s widow, Tera Wray, died from an apparent suicide.

In 2020, Static‑X released Project Regeneration Vol. 1, built from studio outtakes and demos Wayne had recorded before his death — allowing his voice and guitar work to live on.

EDITORS NOTE:

I managed to catch Static-X on their tour with Xero, it was a great show and they paid tribute to Wayne many times during the concert.

PHOTOS