Daniel Johnston

(1961–2019)
Daniel Johnston was an American artist and musician celebrated for his raw, lo-fi outsider approach to music, often self-releasing songs on cassette. His heartfelt, idiosyncratic style won him admirers across the music world, with covers by artists including David Bowie and Tom Waits, and praise from Kurt Cobain, who once called him the best songwriter in America. Johnston’s art mirrored his music — prolific pen-and-marker drawings of superheroes, fantastical creatures, and anthropomorphised animals, often carrying an unfiltered longing for love. Both his songs and his artwork became ways of navigating his mental health struggles, leaving behind a body of work cherished for its honesty, vulnerability, and singular vision.