Nine Inch Nails Keyboardist James Woolley Dies Aged 50

James Woolley, who played keyboards for rock band Nine Inch Nails in the 1990s, has died at the age of 50.

The keyboard player performed with the US rock group, fronted by Trent Reznor, during the early 1990s when the band released their influential album, The Downward Spiral.

The news was released on Facebook by his ex-wife Kate Van Buren, who paid an emotional tribute to the father of three.

She did not reveal the cause of his death but did say in the posting that the musician had been living with "significant neck and spine injuries".

She wrote: "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. Those years were truly magical and quite an adventure.

"Though our marriage ended, James always stayed close to his children. He loved being a father.

"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."

Richard Patrick, former guitarist with Nine Inch Nails, posted a photograph of himself with Woolley on Instagram, writing: "I miss my buddy. #nin #gonetoosoon."

Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy, also paid tribute to Woolley, who won a Grammy for best metal performance with Nine Inch Nails for their 1994 Woodstock performance of Happiness In Slavery.

He said: "James was an active creative collaborator, having worked with other bands such as Die Warzau, Sister Machine Gun, 2wo, and VOID.

"We offer our deepest condolences to James' family, friends, and all those who had the privilege and honour of working with him."

Woolley left Nine Inch Nails in 1994 after three years with the band, and later worked on the sound effects for The Simpson, Ms Van Buren said.

His funeral will be held in Glenview, Illinois, on Saturday.