He was never a big star - and that suited Alex Chilton just fine.  Chilton, who burst on the scene when the Box Tops had a run of hits in the 60's, went on to form Big Star, a band that laid down a path that hundreds of guitar driven power pop bands would follow to bigger success than Big Star ever achieved.  Chilton, who professed to have no interest in fame,  said in a 1987 AP interview, 'What would be ideal would be to make a ton of money and have nobody know about you.'  Though not famous in the widely recognized sense, Chilton was a hero to a lot of musicians and fans, including plenty that considered the chance to see Big Star live at SXSW in Austin Saturday the highlight of the festival. If Big Star plays, it will be a tribute concert. Alex Chilton died of an apparent heart attack at 59 in New Orleans Wednesday (3/17).
LATimes.com