Jeff Tweedy - Personal Life

Personal Life

Tweedy has been prone to chronic migraines throughout his entire life, forcing him to miss forty days of elementary school in one year. While he attempted to regulate his use of painkillers, he was never able to stop their use for more than five weeks. Tweedy attributes this to comorbidity with major depressive disorder and severe panic attacks. In 2004, he entered a dual diagnosis rehabilitation clinic in order to receive treatment for an addiction to prescription painkillers. Tweedy quit smoking the next year; John Stirratt claimed afterward that this significantly improved the focus of the band.

Tweedy is married to former talent booking agent Sue Miller. Tweedy first met Miller when he was trying to get Uncle Tupelo booked at Cubby Bear, where Miller worked. Miller opened a club in Chicago named Lounge Ax in 1989, and booked Uncle Tupelo for 16 shows over four years. Miller and Tweedy began dating in 1991 and they were married on August 9, 1995. Their son Spencer: Spencer Tweedy (born December 1995) has been the drummer for pre-teen rock band The Blisters, not to be confused with Chicago powerpop band The Blissters, since December 2003. Spencer has also recently formed a new band called Tully Monster with friends Hayden Holbert and Henry Mosher. The band has played major events such as Lollapalooza, which Jeff and Wilco headlined, and also at the opening of Millennium Park in Chicago. On December 16, 2008 Spencer Tweedy joined Wilco on stage at Madison Square Garden to play drums on their song "The Late Greats," while opening for Neil Young. Before the song, the entire crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Spencer Tweedy, as it was his birthday. He also has a younger son, Sam Tweedy.

In early May 2009, former Wilco member Jay Bennett sued Tweedy for breach of contract. Bennett died later that month of an apparent accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.