By the 1990s, Mackay's profile had gradually lowered as he took up residence in Pacifica, California (following a sojourn in Amsterdam) and began work as an electrician. The wider perception was that Mackay was dead. In 2000, Stooges biography pages on websites for MTV, VH1, and "Rolling Stone" included an item indicating that Mackay had died as a result of a heroin overdose in the 1970s. The origin of this story is unknown, but music journalist Nick Kent reported the "fact" in a piece on Pop in the mid-1970s. According to Alexis Petridis, "Kent had apparently misheard the lyrics of Iggy Pop’s 'Dum Dum Boys,' which mentioned the death of Stooges roadie and bassist Thomas 'Zeke' Zettner." A second rumor circulated following the AIDS-related death of a San Francisco-based marathon runner and author who shared Mackay's name. Scott Nydegger from the small record label and noise collective Radon disproved the rumors by contacting Mackay and arranging to release his first solo recordings.