The message on his social media accounts read, “On Monday, November 23rd, the world lost a beautiful soul, Garrett Falls Lockhart, also known as i_o. This extremely talented spirit taught us that even if nothing matters, you can still lead with love. Garrett’s truth and soul lives on through the music he shared. Rest in peace, Garrett. We love you.”
Lockhart, who signed with Armada Music earlier this year, had recently collaborated with Lights and mau5trap on the song “Annihilation” and was referred to as a “techno phenom” for three-part EP: ACID 444, NRG 444 and AM 444.
Lockhart, originally from Washington, D.C., was making money producing music for jingles before becoming a local DJ. In 2017, he relocated to Los Angeles. On moving cross-country, he said in an interview with LA Weekly in February, “It’s tough to find people you resonate with. That’s probably the hardest part of living here. Later, having a space to work and someone to do it all with were the two biggest reasons I stayed in L.A. after moving here.”
The up-and-coming star performed at major events such as Electric Daisy Carnival, Escape, Ultra, Creamfields, Paradiso, and Beyond Wonderland, the latter of which was one of the most pivotal moments of Lockhart’s career.
“Getting booked to play Beyond Wonderland, a festival in San Bernardino,” Lockhart said, was how he knew he was on the right path:
I’ve played shows around the country and the world, and they’re all pretty club-based shows, but this was a massive festival. And I watched the crowd go from speckled to a completely stacked indoor festival venue. And that was when I realized this was real. People were really there for what I had to give and not just for the festival. It was tangible. Those were the three moments where I knew what I was doing, and it really refined everything into what it is now.
Lockhart opened up to The Nocturnal Times about his “In My Head” and why he thought it resonated with listeners.
“‘In My Head’ reflects on depression and the lengths you go to quell the warped anxiety and polar ups and downs,” Lockhart revealed. “I wrote this after I’d been up every night until 8 a.m. for what felt like months. It’d been a while since I’d played a show, and I didn’t realize what kind of high I had been riding until touring stopped abruptly in March 2020.
“I really wanted to write something uplifting, but the chords got more and more melancholy and the progression got more and more tense. Finally, I was left with a top-line that repeated over and over, an ironic rapture that was contrary to the heavy-heartedness I was going through.”
Three days before his death, Lockhart was promoting his latest track, “Castles in the Sky,” which is available to stream on Spotify. Other notable songs of his include “Let Me Go” featuring Daisy Guttridge and “Violence,” his collaboration with Grimes.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Lockhart kicked off his national tour in San Francisco and performed to sold-out crowds in Salt Lake City, Hollywood, Boston and Las Vegas.
Five days before he died, Lockhart wrote alongside a picture of himself DJ’ing, “do u ever question ur life?”
In his interview with LA Weekly, Lockhart joked about killing himself. When asked what he would tell his teenage self at the start of his career Lockart said:
It’s gonna be okay. Just do it. Trust the process, I guess – as much as it sucks trusting in absolutely nothing. It might work out, it might not, but there’s only one way through it so you might as well keep going. Or stop and kill yourself. I don’t really know. Either is really an option, but you have to pick one!
Lockhart’s unexpected and sudden death left his fans heartbroken and many of his followers on social media shared tributes to the DJ on Twitter. LIGHTS, who collaborated with i_o, tweeted, “Garrett was unlike anyone I’d ever met. Honest and raw. Cynical and whimsical all in one. All year we worked on music and it got me thru. Prolific as hell, talent thru the roof. Every time I look at the clock and it’s 4:44 I’ll think of you. 444 forever. @i_oofficial.”
One man tweeted, “RIP Garrett and thank you for being an awesome human being. Thank you for sharing your music to the world. You won’t be forgotten. My heart and prayers go out to all his family and friends during this time.”
Another fan tweeted, “I’m so sad. RIP Garrett. Mental health is so important. Please remember to check on your loved ones and show them that you care and that you’re there for them. A little compassion goes a long way. On that note my DMs are always open for anyone who needs someone to talk too.”