Avalon Bar Owner Mike Conley Found Dead

The Weekly has received reports and the Chicago Tribune has confirmed that Avalon Bar owner Mike Conley was found dead early Thursday in a hotel parking lot in Leyden Township, Illinois.

From the Tribune:

Michael Conley, of Costa Mesa, Calif., was found unresponsive at 5:40 a.m. by a person staying in the hotel in the 2300 block of North Mannheim Road, sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said. He appeared to have suffered head injuries.

Conley was taken to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, where he was pronounced dead at 6:25 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Conley was staying in the hotel while working on a construction project, Mateck said.

The vocalist for '80s punk band M.I.A., Conley was an important figure in Orange County's music scene, as Costa Mesa's Avalon Bar became one of the county's premier venues for high-quality DJ nights, including Double Fisted, Dirty Money and 41Dub.

UPDATE: Nostalgia on Wheels says: “According to Goose, one of Mike's closest friends, the Chicago police have arrested two males in connection with Mike's untimely death.”

UPDATE 2: From a MySpace bulletin making the rounds:

There will be an event on Sunday night at the Avalon Bar in Costa Mesa at
5:30 pm to help raise money for his family. We would really appreciate it if you all could attend to pay your condolences. [Mike's family members] are really having a tough time and need all the help, love and support they can get. There will be food and lots of friends.

Please come and tell everyone that knew him.

UPDATE 3: Fox News Chicago has a report on Conley's death, including interviews with his close friend Ross Morgan and the hotel clerk who was working on the night Conley died.

UPDATE 4: Detroit Bar is hosting a memorial to Mike Conley Sun. March 9 at 6 p.m. To make donations to support Conley's family, go here.

Photo Credit: John Gilhooley

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