You can still hear his influence in bands like Franz Ferdinand. Now a style-defining guitarist died at the age of 64.
- Andy Gill died at the age of 64.
- He was a guitarist at Gang Of Four and also worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers .
- His influence on the post-punk genre was enormous.
Leeds - Great grief in the indie rock scene: Andy Gill died at the age of 64. He was guitarist for the English band Gang Of Four and also worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their first album. Gang Of Four announced the sad news via Facebook . "It's so hard for us to write, but our great friend and chief leader died today."
Only in November was he still on tour with Gang Of Four. The band recalls how he played with his Stratocaster guitar , caused screeching feedback and "deafened the front row".
According to the BBC broadcaster, Gill suffered from a respiratory illness after an Asian tour last year. The band did not mention any cause of death, but as the statement shows, there was a major health setback after the tour. "His uncompromising artistic vision and dedication to the cause meant that he was still listening to mixes for the upcoming album while planning the next tour from his hospital bed."
Gang-Of-Four guitarist dies: "He happened to be a genius too"
The band praises him as a friend. He will be remembered for "his kindness and generosity, his fearsome intelligence, bad jokes, crazy stories and endless cups of Darjeeling tea". "And he happened to be a genius too."
The farewell words also say: “His influence on guitar music and the creative process was as inspiring for us as it was for anyone who worked with him and heard his music. And his albums and production work speak for themselves. ”Ivan Kral, another well-known guitarist, died in early February. The Czech worked with numerous top stars from the music scene.
Gang-Of-Four guitarist died - his band was style-defining
These words are probably not an exaggeration. Because from their first single “Damaged goods” from 1978, Gang Of Four were style-defining. The genre "post-punk" only really emerged at that time. In addition, "At home he's a tourist" from 1979 is one of the most famous songs.
With the band, which was active again in the 90s and after the reunion in 2011, Andy Gill had a great influence on younger musicians, such as REM or LCD sound system. In the last gang-of-four album "Happy Now" (2019), the guitarist and singer was the only founding member.
Wife Catherine Mayer wrote on Twitter: "This pain is the price of extraordinary joy, almost three decades with the best man in the world."
Anyone who hears the new indie rock wave with acts with The Futureheads , Bloc Party or Franz Ferdinand , which emerged in the mid- '00s , can clearly see how great Gang Of Four's influence was on these younger bands. “At the end of the 1970s, Gang of Four sounded like the future: namely like Franz Ferdinand & Co, ie the indie bands shortly after the millennium,” says Deutschlandfunk.
With the band, which was active again in the 90s and after the reunion in 2011, Gill had a great influence on younger musicians, such as REM or LCD sound system. In the last gang-of-four album "Happy Now" (2019), the guitarist and singer was the only founding member.
Numerous other stars also mourn. For example, Gary Numan and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) spoke on Twitter.
Andy Gill one of my favorite guitar players of all time has left us. Go listen to the Gang of Four album ENTERTAINMENT right now. Turn that shit up loud and rock the fuck out. Dance. Think. Thats a record that ... https://t.co/HENb28XdZE
- Flea (@ flea333) February 1, 2020A popular German TV presenter died shortly before Christmas - now she was buried in Berlin.