It was on Wednesday that the news came that the musician and artist Daniel Johnston had died as a result of a heart attack, something the Culture News has previously reported.

Daniel Johnston was one of the big names in indie music in the 1980s and has come to be associated with the music scene in Austin, Texas. His debut album Songs of pain was released in 1980 and his most famous songs include Life in vain and True love will find you in the end.

Never censored himself

Actor Sverrir Gudnason has a close relationship with Daniel Johnston whom he describes as an artist who "created with the heart".

- It went like a straight line out of his heart and brain, into the air. He never censored himself, Sverrir Gudnason tells the Culture News.

Sverrir Gudnason discovered Daniel Johnston in the 12th century and became, as he himself describes it, "blown-away by his honesty". Gudnason was also involved in arranging Daniel Johnston's first Sweden gig at a sold-out Allhuset, at Stockholm University, 2002.

- We spent all the money we had on flying here him and his manager Dan. We cleaned my apartment at Gärdet, filled the fridge with Coca cola and then lived there for a week, says Sverrir Gudnason and continues:

- We got to show him Stockholm and above all the record stores because that was what he loved to do. He was looking for Beatles records before he collected them. It was incredibly fun to have him here and we all became friends.

Wrestled with bipolarity

Daniel Johnston's music has touched many, as has his life story, which is laced with mental illness. He spent long periods in various institutions.

- He could be extremely sad and down and then come back up again and become very happy and playful. He was a very nice person who struggled with health problems, says Sverrir Gudnason.

In 2012, Daniel Johnston released his last album Space ducks: Soundtrack and five years later he announced that he would stop touring. His death has elicited strong reactions.

- The strong reactions are because he has touched and inspired so many, both artists, musicians and creators. He was really special in his way of creating with the heart, says Sverrir Gudnason.

Daniel Johnston turned 58 years old.